Braised Lamb Shanks with Tomatoes and Olives

Don’t you just love it when one recipe can totally morph into a second one?

This is just such a recipe.  And it’s a perfect cool weather meal, from Autumn through Spring.  It’s from Dorie Greenspan’s book, Everyday Dorie.  While the title may imply every day, or casual weekday cooking, this dish along with so many of the other uber flavourful meals showcased in this book, are totally wonderful as company worthy, Sunday evening family gathering type meals.  She has a fabulous Tomato Brunch Tart, fun soups like Green as Spring Soup, Cauliflower Tabbouleh, Chicken Chili Tamale Pie, Molasses Coffee Cake, Cranberry Lemon Eton Mess, and so much more.  A great book to use all year round.

I’m a sucker for any meal that involves braising.  It’s pretty well impossible to ruin a braised recipe.  Even the more tough meats will only get more tender as they slowly cook in simmering liquids.  It is impossible to overcook or dry out meat this way.  So even if you aren’t totally confident using a certain cut of meat, braising it will ensure that it is tender, juicy and full of flavours as it soaks in the juices, wines, stocks and aromatics bubbling around it.

Lamb shanks are just such a cut.  They truly do shine in a rich braise.  By the time the shanks are fall off the bone tender, the remaining liquids have cooked down to become the best sauce imaginable.  No knives needed for this meal!

Like all good braises, it starts with a quick sear of the meat.  Getting the exterior nice and browned will make them more appealing once they are finished cooking.  It gives the outside a finished look.  There is a misconception that if we don’t sear first that the juices won’t stay in the meat.  Not so.  But the meat will look more finished with a good sear or browning. 

Then the shanks are simmered in a combination of tomatoes, carrots, garlic, onions, olives, herbs and citrus zest.  The liquids come in the form of the juices from the can of tomatoes, white wine and chicken stock. The flavours are layered, and become richer, deeper as they all simmer together.  Don’t rush the simmering process.  You can’t get a tasty meal on the table quicker if you increase the heat.  The shanks just won’t cook through and become fork tender if rushed.

Here is a key to getting a great braise: Use the correct pot. Ideally you don’t want the meat to sit in more than one layer.  If your pot is deep but not wide, you will end up with meat sitting below the liquids while the meat on top is barely covered.  This means that the top layer will not braise.  If you love braising, and do it often, you may want to invest in a braiser or wide casserole pot.  The one I show here is wide enough to hold just about any amount of meat for 6 people or so, as well as all the accompanying veggies and liquids. (Disclaimer, the shanks I show in this photo are huge!) You will usually have some of the meat exposed, but that is alright, the resulting steam as it is simmering will cook the tops of the exposed meat.  A braise is just this, most but not all of the meat covered.  If it is totally covered then it is no longer a braise, but a boil. 

When I first served this dish, I served it with an apricot and pistachio couscous.  Both the apricots and the pistachios work great with lamb as well as the olives and citrus peels.  It made for a great dinner party meal.  Like I said, this isn’t a meal you need to fuss over or check the temperature of the meat regularly for doneness.  Just let the pot simmer away, and go and do some fun things like clean, dust, set the table, go for a walk, etc.  Slow on the stove means that you have time for yourself.

And what is even better, making the couscous is the fastest side ever.  As per the instructions on your package, most couscous will cook and fluff up in five minutes when covered with boiling water or stock.  I add the chopped components after the couscous is ready.  This dish takes all of 10 minutes, and that includes the fluffing with the fork, and chopping of the dried apricots!  But you can add whatever you’d like: chopped fresh cilantro, almonds, etc.  You can even sauté up some chopped onion and garlic and add it to the couscous before adding the boiling liquid.  Just cover with cling wrap or a lid, and next thing you know, it’s ready.

Now here is the second meal: Lamb Shank Ragù.  Because the shanks were so large, I actually didn’t serve all the meat at once.  Better to have meat waiting to be eaten in a separate bowl, than to have it sitting as leftovers on someone’s plate. Once our meal was finished, and no one could eat another bite, I took the reserved lamb meat and shredded it up. I chopped up the cooked carrots, and took all the remaining sauce of onions, tomatoes, garlic and olives and put the whole kit and kaboodle into a freezer bag. Then, when I had a hankering for a stick to your ribs comfort meal, I pulled it out.

Once everything had thawed and I added it all to a pot, I added just a bit of stock to thin it to a desirable consistency.  I simmered it all on the stove while the pasta was cooking.  And then I tossed the finished and drained pasta in the thick and luscious ragù or goulash of lamb and veggies. Garnished it all with freshly shaved parm cheese and this meal was even better than the first one.  All those amazing flavours got even richer as they all thawed together.  You can use any pasta you like for this, as long as it isn’t too delicate.  You need a hefty pasta to stand up to the thick and chunky ragù.  A thick papardelle or rigatoni would be smashing.

So go get yourself some lamb shanks.  Or short ribs, or even oxtails etc.  All of these cuts of meat will work with the exact same method and ingredients below.  Happy February everyone.

Love Jen

5 from 1 vote

Print

Braised Lamb Shanks with Tomatoes and Olives

Course Main Course

Keyword lamb shanks

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 4 lamb shanks
• 2 tbsp grapeseed or other neutral oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic head loose skin removed
• 2 carrots peeled and chopped
• 1 large or 2 medium onions trimmed and cut nose to tail in thin strips
• leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary
• 1 28 oz 794 g can of whole tomatoes, preferable San Marzano, with the juice
• 1 tbsp anchovy paste or 1 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups 360 ml dry white wine
• 1 cup 240 ml chicken stock
• 1 cup about 150 g oil cured black olives, pitted
• Thin strips of peel from one orange. exclude the white pith I use a bar zester to achieve this. If you don't have one, use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel and then cut the peel into very thin strips.
• 1/4 tsp Urfa pepper or a pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes

Ragù

• parmesan cheese
• stock or tomato sauce, to extend the leftovers into a rich sauce if needed

Instructions

1. Choose a stock pot, Dutch oven or braising dish that will hold the shanks and other ingredients so that the shanks can sit in one layer.
2. Pat the shanks dry with paper towel. Heat the vegetable oil in the pot over medium heat and brown the shanks on all sides, about 10 minutes. You may need to work in batches. When the shanks are browned, transfer them to a plate or platter and season well with salt and pepper.
3. Pour out the used oil from the pot and replace with the olive oil. Cut off just enough of the garlic head to expose the tops of the cloves. Toss the garlic, carrots, onions and rosemary into the pot. Season with salt (about 1 tsp) and cook over low heat, stirring until the vegetables are softened but not coloured, about 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile open the can of tomatoes and pour everything into a bowl. Using your hands to crush the tomatoes into bite sized chunks. This is one of the best feelings ever in the kitchen!
5. Stir the anchovies or Worchestershire sauce into the vegetables in the pot. Cook for about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the white wine, turn up the heat and boil till the wine has almost evaporated. Add the remaining white wine, the broth, the tomatoes and their juices, the olives and the citrus peel and the pepper into the pot. Stir everything to combine.
6. Add the lamb shanks to the pot. Ideally they should fit in one layer, and should be at least 3/4 submerged under the liquids. Bring to a boil, place a lid on the pot, and then reduce the heat to low to keep everything at a gentle simmer. There should be some bubbling going on. Adjust the heat to maintain this.
7. Braise as such for 2 hours and then check the shanks, if the meat is falling off the bones, they are ready! If not, keep cooking until this is achieved. Check after every 30 minutes or so.
8. Pick out the garlic cloves, and serve the shanks with the sauce. Garnish with fresh rosemary if desired.
9. Serve over mashed potatoes, puréed parsnips, rice, couscous or even orzo.

Ragù

1. Shred any remaining meat into thin, bite sized bits. Chop the carrots into a small dice. Do the same with the onions. Store with all the sauce, either in the fridge, or in a freezer safe container.
2. When ready to reheat, thaw and add to a medium stock pot. As it simmers on low heat to warm through, add enough liquid (stock or tomato sauce) to turn it into a sauce consistency of your liking. Taste and re-season if necessary.
3. Serve over a hearty pasta like papardelle or rigatoni. Add a fresh grating of parmesan cheese

Recipe Notes

This is from Dorie Greenspan's book, Everyday Dorie.

The recipe feeds four.  It can be easily made to feed six or even doubled. Just increase the rest of the ingredients accordingly.  And use a pot large enough to contain everything without overcrowding.

Dorie calls for the braising to happen in the oven.  I personally don't like to braise in the oven.  I would rather do it on the stove top over low heat.  This way I can check the pot periodically to ensure that the heat is correct and the liquids are bubbling at a low simmer. Then when it comes time to check for doneness, it is easily accessible.  I find that having to pull the pot out of the oven to check it more work on my back etc.  Lifting a lid is much easier when it is right there!