Here is another recipe for lamb shanks, highly recommended by one of our former apprentices, Mike Rathjen:
Braised Lamb Shanks. (originally from “Earth to Table, p. 250).
Note from the chef:
We feature lamb shanks on our winter menu at the restaurant. As a chef, I gravitate toward cheap cuts of meat, like lamb shanks. They are very flavorful, and I hope to inspire you to use a variety of meat cuts.
Our lamb comes from Brenda and Shane Forsyth, who own a lamb farm. I have developed a relationship with them over my time as the chef at the Ancaster Old Mill. I try to help farmers and work with them: rather than buying only prime cuts, as some chefs do, I buy a whole lamb and use as much of the animal as possible. We usually purchase about four lambs a week, and I use both the popular and unpopular cuts.
(My comment: BRAVO!! to that.)
Here is the recipe:
Serves 4:
4 small lamb shanks (each about 8 oz.)
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 leek (white and light green parts only), roughly chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 dried bay leaf
2 cups dry red wine
4 cups beef stock.

Generously season lamb with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over high heat until smoking. Add lamb and cook, turning, until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer lamb to a large Dutch oven and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, celery, carrot, onion, leek, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf to the pan. Saute until vegetables are golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add wine and cook, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Pour everything over lamb. (Liquid should cover shanks: if it doesn’t, add water or more stock until covered.) Cover and bake, turning every 20 minutes, until meat is very tender and yields easily when pierced with a knife, about 3 hours. Remove meat, strain sauce, and reduce by half. Serve lamb in a shallow dish, dressed with sauce, ideally with Cipollini Onions.

Generously season lamb with salt and pepper.

This recipe comes highly recommended by our son, who says “Very good, quite different from typical lamb recipes here but pretty close to lamb I’ve had in China and at better restaurants in Richmond and Ottawa. Can’t get it like this in Victoria, I don’t think.”

Fragrant, intense and full of fiery chile, this lamb stir-fry isn’t for the timid eater. For the most authentic flavor, it’s worth your while to seek out Sichuan peppercorns, which have a woodsy, tongue-numbing, camphor quality. (They are available at specialty spice markets, in Chinatown, or online.) You can substitute regular black peppercorns, but you won’t get the same punch. If you’re not a lamb-lover, you can also try this with lean beef. Serve this over white or brown rice to cut the heat, with a side of sliced cucumbers dressed with sesame oil and salt for freshness.

TOTAL TIME
35 minutes

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
2 teaspoons Sichuan or regular peppercorns
1 pound boneless lamb
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 to 8 dried red chiles (or substitute 1/2 teaspoon or more crushed red pepper)
1 large white onion
1 bunch (about 8) scallions, trimmed
2 tablespoons peanut oil
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese cooking sherry (Shaoxing rice wine) or dry sherry
2 cups fresh cilantro, leaves and stems
Rice, for serving

Preparation

1.
In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast cumin seeds and peppercorns until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and crush lightly.
2.
Slice meat across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick strips. Toss meat with crushed spices, ground cumin, salt and dried chiles.
3.
Peel onion and halve it through the root end. Trim the ends and cut each half lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut white and light green parts of scallions into 2-inch lengths. Thinly slice scallion greens; keep separate.
4.
Heat a very large skillet or wok over high heat until screaming hot, about 5 minutes. Add oil. Toss in onion and the scallion bottoms. Cook, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are lightly charred but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
5.
Add lamb and chiles to skillet. Cook, tossing quickly, until meat begins to brown. Add garlic, soy sauce and sherry. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and lamb is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Toss in onions and scallion bottoms. Remove from heat and mix in cilantro and scallion greens. Serve hot, over rice.

YIELD
4 servings

Originally published with Lamb at Play in a Field of Cumin
March 26, 2014