Braised Lamb Shanks With Dried Fruit Food

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS & SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Toss the lamb in the flour and shake away any excess.
• Heat the oil in a large baking dish and add the lamb in batches and cook until browned all over, drain on paper towel.
• Return the lamb to the dish and add onions, garlic, tomatoes, port, wine and stock, cover and bake in a moderate oven (180D C- 350d F) for about 2 hours until the lamb is tender.
• Remove the lamb from the dish and keep warm and simmer the pan juices over medium heat until slightly thickened.
• Serve the lamb with the pan juices and sprinkle over the parsley or basil.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and cook, in batches if necessary, turning with tongs, until well browned, about 10 minutes each batch. Remove the lamb shanks with tongs to a plate and set aside.
• Stir the onions, carrots, rosemary, bay leaves, and garlic into the dutch oven and cook, stirring, until the onions are very soft, about 5 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of the wine and deglaze the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
• Return the lamb shanks to the pot and braise the mixture, tightly covered, in the oven for 1 hour. Uncover and braise for 2 more hours, turning the shanks every 30 minutes. Stir in the turnips and the remaining 1/2 cup of the wine, and continue to braise, in the oven for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• While the lamb shanks are braising, make the gremolata: chop together the rosemary, orange zest, and garlic. Place each lamb shank on a serving plate, top with the vegetables, sprinkle with gremolata and serve immediately.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH GREEN OLIVES AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• First off, you want to marinate the lamb shanks for a few hours to really penetrate the deep flavor; the wine also tenderizes the meat. Put the shanks in a large glass bowl and season with salt and pepper. Break up the thyme and rosemary with your hands to release the oils and toss them on top of the lamb. Add the lemon peel, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, bay leaves, and sugar. Pour in the bottle of wine, cover and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
• Line a few layers of paper towels on the counter. Pull the lamb shanks out of the wine marinade (reserving it for later), and lay them out on the paper towels, cover with more paper towels and pat the meat dry really well. Put the flour in a large shallow platter and season it with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Dredge the lamb shanks in the seasoned flour; tapping off the excess.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add the oil. Sear the lamb shanks, turning carefully with tongs, so all sides are a brown caramel color. Drizzle with a little more oil if needed. Do this in batches if the shanks are big and look crowded in the pot. Strain marinade reserving the wine. Add the wine, remaining 2 sticks of cinnamon, remaining 2 sprigs of thyme and the stuff from the marinade. Cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Pour in the stock and add the onions, carrots, olives, and apricots; bring to a boil. Cover the pot. Place in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Transfer the lamb shanks to a large platter. Spoon the onions, olives, and apricots over them. Strain the braising juices and season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the platter and serve with some crusty bread.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH DRIED FRUITS

Steps:

• Make marinade:
• In a 9- to 10-quart heavy ovenproof kettle whisk together marinade ingredients.
• Add shanks to marinade and toss to coat. Marinate shanks, covered and chilled, at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Transfer shanks with tongs to a plate. Pat shanks dry and season with salt and pepper. Pour marinade through a sieve set over a bowl and reserve vegetables, liquid, and bouquet garni separately. In kettle heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and brown shanks on all sides in batches, transferring to a plate. Add reserved vegetables to fat remaining in kettle and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add vegetables to shanks.
• Add flour to kettle and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, 3 minutes, or until golden. Whisk in reserved marinade liquid and add reserved bouquet garni, shank mixture, and tomatoes. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half. Add water and braise mixture, covered, in middle of oven 2 hours, or until lamb is tender.
• While shanks are braising, peel and core apples and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices. In a large heavy skillet heat remaining tablespoon oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook apples, stirring, 2 minutes. Add orange juice and simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Keep apple mixture warm.
• Arrange shanks around edge of a large platter and spoon apple mixture into center of platter. Keep shanks and apple mixture warm.
• Bring braising liquid to a boil, skimming any fat that rises to surface, and discard bouquet garni. Add dried fruits and mint and simmer sauce 5 minutes, or until fruits are softened. Season sauce with salt and pepper and spoon over shanks. Serve any remaining sauce separately.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH BARLEY

Steps:

• In heavy skillet or dutch oven, brown lamb shanks in hot olive oil. Remove shanks and set aside.
• Saute onion, garlic and spices in oil until onion is soft.
• At this point you can transfer the entire dish to the crock pot, or cook it in the dutch oven. Add salt, barley, tomatoes, tomato paste, water (and wine if desired) to shanks. Make sure all the barley is immersed in liquid.
• TO BAKE: Cover Dutch oven closely and bake in a 325 degree oven for 3 hours or until shanks are very tender and falling off the bone.
• CROCKPOT: Cook the dish on "Low" for at least 8 hours. I found it easiest to assemble the night before and then just plug in the crockpot when I leave for work in the morning.
• In either case, turn off the heat and let the dish sit uncovered for 10-20 minutes. Use a tablespoon and skim off any excess fat from the top before serving.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325.
• In a large dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat. Saute carrots, onions and celery until softened. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and salt; saute for 30 seconds.
• Place lamb on top of vegetables. In a bowl, combine wine, broth, vinegar, flour, tomato paste and pepper to taste. Pour over lamb and bring to a boil.
• Cover and bake for 2-1/2 hours or until lamb is fork tender. Skim fat from sauce and sprinkle with parsle and orange zest.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Add the salt and pepper to the flour and dust the lamb shanks. Add the oil to a pan and let the pan get hot. Once it is hot, sear the lamb shanks on all sides so that they are crisp and brown. Remove the shanks from the pan and put them aside on a plate cover with aluminum foil. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pan and saute them for a few minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Stir in the red wine and cook for a few minutes. Add the beef broth, stir and let it come to a boil. Now add your rosemary and bay leaves. Return the lamb shanks to the pan and spoon the vegtables and sauce over the shanks.
• Cover the pan and cook in the oven for 3 hours at 325 degrees F. Occassionally turn the lamb shanks over while cooking.
• After 3 hours or until shanks are tender, take them out from the sauce and cover with foil. Cook the sauce so it reduces to half the amount. Return the shanks and now season with salt and pepper, tobasco and worcesteshire sauces to taste.
• This dish goes excellent with some garlic mashed potatoes!

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Combine flour and pepper in large ziplock bag (I used a freezer bag).
• Dredge lamb shanks in flour.
• Thinly slice onion, mince garlic.
• Heat oil in large frying pan.
• Fry shanks until golden brown on each side.
• Turn with tongs.
• Place shanks in Dutch Oven, or large oven proof pot with lid.
• Add minced garlic and bay leaves to pot.
• Add onion slices to frying pan.
• Cook stirring occasionally until onion is soft.
• Add red wine to frying pan.
• Cook stirring occasionally until slightly syrupy, approximately five minutes.
• Pour onion mixture over shanks.
• Sprinkle Italian seasoning over shanks.
• Pour beef stock into pot.
• Cook in 375 F oven for 2 hours and 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
• If desired sauce may be thickened by removing lamb shanks to plate and simmering sauce on stove top for 15 minutes or until it coats the back of a spoon.
• Return shanks to sauce to rewarm.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 160c.
• Heat the oil in a big, heavy-based, oven-proof pan.
• Brown the shanks well on all sides, remove, fry the garlic, onions and carrot until they are softened.
• Add the tinned tomatoes and their juice to the pan, sit the shanks on top, then add the remaining ingredients.
• Use enough stock to just barely cover the shanks.
• Put the un-covered pan in the oven.
• Braise for about 2 hours, checking it every 30 minutes or so.
• Turn the shanks each time you check, and replace the liquid (some will evaporate during cooking) to bring it to half-way up the shanks.
• The shanks are done when the meat is beginning to fall of the bone.
• Remove them and place on a warmed serving dish Strain the liquid, pressing with a spoon to get all the juices out.
• Skim and discard as much fat as you can, then reduce the remaining liquid to a nice gravy consistency.
• Pour over the shanks and serve.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH MUSHROOMS AND PASTA

Steps:

• Set oven to 325 degrees.
• In a large Dutch oven or oven-proof pot heat oil over high heat.
• Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper then brown on both sides (about 6-7 minutes per side) transfer to a platter or plate.
• Add in onions, garlic, mushrooms, thyme, majoram and crushed red pepper; saute for about 7-8 minutes or until veggies are tender.
• Return the lamb back to the pot.
• Add in wine and bring to a boil; simmer for about 6-8 minutes.
• Add in broth, Worcestershire sauce and crushed tomatoes; bring back to a boil.
• Cover the pot and transfer to the oven to cook for about 2-1/2 - 3 hours, or until the lamb is very tender.
• Season with salt and pepper about the last 30 minutes or cooking.
• Meanwhile cook the pasta in boiling salted water until JUST firm-tender; drain and place the pasta in a large bowl.
• Spoon the sauce over the cooked pasta, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, then place the shanks on top.
• Serve and pass more Parmesan cheese separatel at the table.

BRAISED LAMB WITH SQUASH AND BRANDIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Place the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven, and heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Halve the squash lengthwise, then scoop out the seeds and discard them. Rub the flesh of the squash with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt. Place 3 sprigs each of thyme and sage on a small baking sheet. Place the cut side of the squash directly on top of the herbs. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the quartered shallots cut-side down and cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid scorching. Season with salt and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
• Pat the lamb dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the pot over medium-high. Cook the lamb on both sides until browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Work in batches if necessary.
• Add the minced shallots and garlic to the pan, season with salt and stir to coat with the pan drippings. Add the whole peeled tomatoes and their juices, then add the stock or water and bring to a boil. Return the lamb shanks to the pot and add the remaining thyme and sage.
• Cover the pot with a lid or a piece of foil and move the pot to the bottom rack of the oven. Place the squash on the top rack. Bake the squash until the flesh is tender and a thin knife can be easily inserted, about 75 to 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover with foil. Continue to cook the lamb until the meat is tender enough to pull with a fork, about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours total.
• Scoop out the squash with a spoon and place on a serving plate, then transfer the lamb to the plate and cover to keep warm. Remove the braised tomatoes from the lamb cooking liquid and discard along with any excess fat.
• Set the pot over medium heat and reduce the liquid to about 3/4 of its volume, about 5 minutes. Add the browned shallots and brandied fruit. Cook until shallots are tender and sauce is warmed through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the lamb and squash and garnish with mint leaves. Serve with steamed rice, couscous or thick slices of a crusty sourdough loaf.