Lamb shanks, along with oxtail, are rated right up there with the greatest comfort foods of all time. Both are tender beyond belief, falling from the bone with only the slightest assistance from the diner. revel in thick gravy, and combine naturally with a variety of vegetables of which a rich mashed potato is the all-time winner.
Long regarded as the least interesting part of a leg of lamb, the shank has achieved its rightful place as a meal in its own right.
To make lamb shanks in rosemary and orange for six diners, you will need: • 6 lamb shanks
• salt and freshly ground black pepper • extra-virgin olive oil • ½ cup of rosemary • 3 onions • 2 oranges • 2 cloves of garlic • 400ml dry red wine
Some introductory observations: like oxtail, lamb shank is a slow-cooked food. So don’t consider this dish if time is short.
To start the process, prepare the rosemary. This is another of those occasions when the only choice is fresh rosemary, straight from the garden. Pick a large bunch, rinse off all multi-legged insect livestock, then remove the aromatic green leaves from the stems.
Collect a half cup or so of the fresh rosemary leaves then chop them very finely with a sharp knife.
Crush, peel and finely mince the garlic and mix this with the chopped rosemary. Arrange the shanks on a work surface and dress them with the rosemary and garlic mix. Ensure that all surfaces are well covered.
Select a large, heavy-bottomed pan, pour in four tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and bring this up to a medium heat. Add the lamb shanks, increase the heat and brown them on all sides.
Remove the browned lamb shanks and reserve them in a covered bowl.
Lower the heat and sweat the thinly sliced onions until they have reduced to a soft, golden hash.
Collect the zest of both oranges either with a dedicated zesting tool or with greater difficulty and less efficiency, the thin blade of a filleting knife. If using the latter method, remember the zest is only the thinnest outer layer of the orange and not the entire peel.
Add the zest to the cooked onions in the pan and let it cook for 60 seconds or so.
Now for the wine.
Poncey food writers subscribe to the poncey belief that wine for cooking and drinking should always be identical. If a Château Lafite Rothschild is your daily dop, then you should cook in it too. I apply this rule religiously to my cooking, although in my case Tassenberg is the red wine of choice. And when it comes to an oxtail, or a lamb shank, Tassies is the only way to go.
Moving on, we add 400ml of Château Lafite Rothschild or Tassenberg to the pan, with the juice of the two oranges. Stir like crazy, raise the temperature so the juices bubble then season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
I know you’re hungry, but it ain’t over yet. Place the reserved browned lamb shanks into an ovenproof dish with a fitted lid, then pour the contents of the pan over them. Fit the lid, then stick it into a preheated oven at 150ºfor 120 minutes or until the meat is tender. Serve this with the steamed vegetables of your choice, plus a glass or two of the Château Lafite Rothschild you cooked it in. – David Basckin |fw
