Middle Eastern Style Lamb Shanks Food

PERSIAN LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Sprinkle shanks with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large heavy based pot over medium high heat. Brown shanks all over, 2 at a time. Remove from pot.
• Discard excess oil, clean pot if it's very dirty.
• Add 1 tbsp oil. Cook onion and garlic for 2 minutes until translucent.
• Stir in the turmeric, cinnamon, tomatoes, and salt.
• Add chicken broth and stir well.
• Place shanks in pot, then add water as needed so the shanks are 3/4 or fully covered, but no more than 1L/4 cups water. (Note 2)
• If shanks not fully submerged, make a cartouche (baking paper lid, Note 3).
• Bring up to the boil. Place the cartouche snugly on surface (if using), cover pot leaving a little crack (to ensure it doesn't boil over).
• Turn heat down so simmering very gently. Cook 1.5 hours, turning every 30 minutes.
• Add cardamom and nutmeg into liquid.
• Cook for another 1 hour until meat is very tender and falling off the bone.
• Carefully remove meat from liquid into a bowl and cover with foil.

PERSIAN-SPICED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Trim any excess fat from lamb shanks and season generously with salt. Mix together the cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, rosebuds (if using), black pepper and turmeric. Sprinkle evenly over shanks and rub into meat. Let sit at room temperature at least an hour, or wrap and refrigerate overnight, then bring to room temperature.
• Place a Dutch oven or deep, heavy pot over medium-high heat and add oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. When oil is hot, add 2 lamb shanks and fry until nicely browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside, then brown the 2 remaining shanks.
• Meanwhile, put saffron in a small bowl with lime juice, 2 teaspoons rosewater and 1/2 cup warm water. Let steep for 10 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Carefully remove all but 2 tablespoons oil from Dutch oven. Add chopped onion and cook over medium heat until softened and lightly colored, 8 to 10 minutes. Season onion with salt, then add lime zest, orange zest, thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir in saffron mixture. Lay in the lamb shanks and add the broth. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover pot.
• Transfer pot to oven and bake for about 1 1/2 hours, covered, until meat is tender when probed and beginning to fall from the bone. Remove lamb shanks to a deep serving dish and keep warm. Strain braising juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing with a wooden spoon to obtain all the liquid (discard thyme, bay leaves and onions). Skim fat, then taste and add salt if necessary. Add 1 more teaspoon rosewater, if desired. Reheat strained juices and pour over lamb shanks. Combine parsley, mint and reserved orange zest and sprinkle over top.
• Use a large spoon to break the tender shank meat into large chunks. Serve in low, wide soup plates, giving each portion a spoonful of the juices. Accompany with steamed Basmati rice, lavash flatbread or a loaf of crusty French bread.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Heat one tablespoon of oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
• When the oil is hot, place the lamb shanks and season well with salt and pepper. You may work with two shanks at a time.
• Then brown the shanks well on all sides using a pair of tongs. It should take about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the seared lamb shanks and set aside.
• In the same skillet add the remaining oil and heat it. Then add the sliced onion and sauté until light golden brown.
• Next add the grated garlic and stir couple minutes. Add the Persian spice mix, and turmeric. Then turn of the heat.
• Transfer the lamb shanks and sautéed onion-spice mixture to a heavy bottomed cooking pot. Add the saffron water, lemon juice, bay leaves, thyme (or dill) and the lemon zest.
• Add about 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil, and then lower the heat and let it simmer for about 1½ to 2 hours until fork tender. The meat should be falling of the bone.
• Adjust the seasonings as per taste.
• Transfer the lamb shanks to a serving dish.
• Cook down the sauce further if it is too thin and then pour it over the lamb shanks. Or you may strain the sauce and then cook it. Discard the bay leaves.
• Tip: You may also cook this from start to finish in a dutch oven or a heavy bottomed pot that heats up well for browning the meat.
• Follow the same instructions as above.And cook the lamb shanks in the oven at 325 degrees F in an oven safe dish making sure to seal it well or use a fitting lid.
• Brown the lambs shanks and prepare the onion-spice-herb mixture. Transfer to slow cooker.
• Add the water and cook according to the instructions for about 4 to 5 hours at high or 6 to 8 hours at low setting.

MIDDLE EASTERN-STYLE LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shanks and cook, turning for 5 minutes or until brown. Remove to a plate.
• Add the onion and garlic, and cook gently for about 5 minutes or until soft.
• Add the spices and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds.
• Return the lamb shanks to the saucepan with the tomatoes and stock, and bring to the boil.
• Reduce the heat to a medium-low simmer and cook for one hour covered.
• Uncover and cook a further 30 minutes or until the lamb is tender.
• Remove the lamb and keep warm, increase the heat under the saucepan to high and bring the stock mixture to the boil.
• Boil, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens (it WILL happen and is much nicer than a flour thickened sauce!).
• Sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves and serve with yogurt on the side.

MOROCCAN-STYLE LAMB SHANKS WITH POTATOES AND PEAS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a small heavy pot or skillet, and stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, and saffron; then lay in the lamb shanks. Cook for about 5 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently and turning the shanks over. Pour in enough water to cover, and sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grindings of pepper. Cover, and continue to cook over low heat for 1 1/2-2 hours, until the shanks are very tender; check the level of liquid, and add more water if necessary so that it just covers the shanks. Add the potatoes, and simmer for 20 minutes; then add the peas, preserved lemon, and olives, and cook another 4 or 5 minutes. Fish out one of the shanks and the potatoes, and place on a warm plate; then, with a fine-mesh scoop, pick up all the peas and seasonings and scatter them over the meat. Pour on some of the cooking sauce (you'll only use about half of it), and sprinkle the parsley and cilantro on top.
• Variations
• I've used lima beans instead of peas, as well as a handful of fava beans, when I have them in the garden; both take a little longer to cook than the peas, so allow for that. If you don't have preserved lemon, either store-bought or homemade, use a couple of slivers of fresh lemon peel, finely julienned. And don't worry if you don't have fresh cilantro-parsley alone is fine. Be sure to save the rest of the cooking sauce.

KHOUZI ALA TIMMAN (IRAQI LAMB SHANKS AND RICE) (GLUTEN-FREE)

Steps:

• Rinse lamb shanks and place in a large pot with cold water to just cover the meat.
• Add the noomi or lemon rind and bring slowly to a boil, skimming as required.
• In another pan gently fry the onion in the olive oil until transparent.
• Then add the bahrat & turmeric and fry for a further one minute.
• Add tomatoes, approximately 1 1/2 tsp salt and some pepper to taste and raisins if using.
• When lamb shank liquid is well skimmed and simmering, add the tomato mixture.
• Cover and simmer gently for 1 1/2-2 hours until meat is very tender. Towards the end of cooking, place the lid on an angle so that the liquid can reduce to a thick sauce and sqeeze the optional lemon.
• Arrange lamb shanks on a bed of Timman >>> Recipe #366129 pour over sauce and serve with a salad and khoubiz (flat bread).

MEDITERRANEAN LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottom saucepan. Add the shanks and sear over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
• Add the onion, garlic, celery root, carrots, olives and ginger. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove vegetables from pot and set aside.
• Add the wine, increase the heat to high and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes.
• Add the remaining ingredients, except coriander leaves and parsley leaves. Stir to combine. Return the shanks and vegetables to the saucepan. Cover partly and simmer gently over medium-low heat until the meat begins to fall off the bone, about 3 hours.
• Meanwhile, combine the coriander and the parsley in a bowl. Set aside. Remove the bay leaf from the saucepan and discard. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the shanks among 4 plates. Ladle the sauce over each shank. Garnish with the coriander-parsley mixture and serve immediately. Serve with white bean puree (recipe below).

LAMB SHANKS WITH CHICKPEAS & MOROCCAN SPICES

Steps:

• Soak the chickpeas overnight. Drain, tip into a saucepan and cover generously with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil, simmer for 45 minutes and drain.
• Heat the oil in a large casserole and brown the lamb all over. Remove and set aside. Pour off most of the fat, leaving 1 tablespoon in the dish, add the onions and fry for 8-10 minutes until soft.
• Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 3/fan oven 140C. Mix together the ginger, garlic, chillies, cumin, coriander, pepper and paprika. Add half of this to the onions, tip in the tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Put in the lamb and chickpeas, cover generously with water (about 850ml/11⁄2 pints), bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and cook in the oven for 11⁄2-2 hours until the chickpeas are really tender. (You can prepare up to this stage the day before. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Bring back to simmering point before starting step 4.)
• Remove from the oven and stir in the remaining spice mixture, the saffron and cinnamon, carrots, apricots, honey and salt. Cover and return to the oven for 45 minutes-1 hour until the lamb is tender and the vegetables cooked. Scatter the almonds and coriander on top.

FLAVORFUL PERSIAN BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Rub 1 tablespoon olive oil over lamb shanks and cover with salt.
• Mix turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, cumin, and nutmeg together in a small bowl. Sprinkle over lamb shanks. Let lamb shanks marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot. Cook and stir onion until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
• Whisk hot water, lime juice, rose water, and saffron together in a small bowl. Cover and let steep for 10 minutes.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook lamb shanks in batches until browned, 5 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer lamb shanks to a plate.
• Whisk wine into the pot, scraping any browned bits off the bottom. Add onion and garlic mixture, steeped saffron mixture, parsley, thyme, lime zest, and bay leaves. Return lamb shanks to the pot. Cover with chicken broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until lamb shanks are tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Uncover pot and simmer until broth reduces slightly, about 20 minutes. Transfer lamb shanks to an oven-safe dish.
• Place lamb shanks in the preheated oven to keep warm.
• Bring broth to a boil; simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Spoon broth over lamb shanks.