by Chef David Raines, Flora Butcher
One of my favorite foods is lamb – it’s delicious, festive and makes great leftovers. At
Flora Butcher, to have great sources for locally raised lamb. Mississippi farmers take a lot of pride in their products, and it shows in their quality, so make the effort to find Mississippi-grown lamb. I promise you it will be well worth it!
Braised Lamb Shanks
Ingredients:
4 lamb shanks, frenched
1/2 cup lamb tallow (fat)
1 carrot, peeled and split
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 bulbs fennel, sliced
1 large tomato, diced
8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 cups sweet Riesling wine
lamb stock to cover
2 bay leaves
1 sprig rosemary
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon chili flake
Salt and pepper
Method:
Season the shanks liberally with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. In a heavy pot melt the lamb tallow over medium high heat and brown the shanks on all sides; set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrot, onion, celery, and fennel. Using a wooden spoon, stir often and scrape the bottom of the pan as the juices come out of the vegetables. Once softened, add the garlic and tomato, and continue to cook until all the liquid has cooked away. Still stirring often, add the wine and cook until the wine has evaporated.
Return the lamb shanks to the pot and add the stock until the shanks are submerged. Add the bay leaves, rosemary, lemon zest and chili flake. Cover and gently simmer for about 2 ½ hours or until tender but not falling off the bone.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool in the liquid. Once cool enough to handle, remove the shanks and cover with foil to keep warm. Strain the sauce, discarding the vegetables. In another pot, cook to reduce the sauce by half and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
To serve, place a shank on each plate and glaze with sauce, adding a little extra to that it pools on the plate. Pair with farro, risotto, lemony grits or a bed of pappardelle pasta.
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