Braised Lamb Shanks With Leeks Recipes

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and cook, in batches if necessary, turning with tongs, until well browned, about 10 minutes each batch. Remove the lamb shanks with tongs to a plate and set aside.
• Stir the onions, carrots, rosemary, bay leaves, and garlic into the dutch oven and cook, stirring, until the onions are very soft, about 5 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of the wine and deglaze the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
• Return the lamb shanks to the pot and braise the mixture, tightly covered, in the oven for 1 hour. Uncover and braise for 2 more hours, turning the shanks every 30 minutes. Stir in the turnips and the remaining 1/2 cup of the wine, and continue to braise, in the oven for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• While the lamb shanks are braising, make the gremolata: chop together the rosemary, orange zest, and garlic. Place each lamb shank on a serving plate, top with the vegetables, sprinkle with gremolata and serve immediately.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH LEEKS AND HARICOT BEANS

Steps:

• Soak the beans overnight in cold water. The next day, drain them, put them into a deep saucepan, and cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil, skim off the froth, add a bay leaf, and a drop or two of olive oil and simmer for about forty minutes. Turn off the heat and leave them in the water.
• Warm a glug of olive oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Season the lamb shanks all over with salt and black pepper, then lower them into the pot. They should sizzle when they hit the oil. Turn the meat from time to time until it has colored nicely on all sides (we are talking pale honey color rather than deep brown). Remove the meat from the pot and set aside on a plate to catch any escaping juices.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Cut the leeks into chunks roughly the length of a wine cork, wash them thoroughly, making sure no grit or sand is trapped in their many layers, then put them in the casserole together with the butter, keeping the heat low. Cover with a piece of wax paper or parchment paper, then cover with a lid (the paper will encourage them to cook in their own steam rather than brown). Cook them on the stove until they have started to soften, a good twenty minutes or so. You will need to give them an occasional stir.
• Remove and discard the paper. Peel and thinly slice the garlic and add it to the pot with the thyme and the remaining bay leaves. Sprinkle the flour over the top and continue cooking for three or four minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the stock or water, then drain the beans and add them too. Season with salt and pepper.
• Return the shanks and any collected juices to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and place in the oven for an hour and a half, or until the lamb is completely tender. Sometimes it takes two hours. You should be able to remove it from the bone with little effort (then again, it shouldn't actually be falling apart). Remove from the oven, stir in most of the lemon juice and zest, parsley, and mint, then scatter the rest.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH LEEKS

Steps:

• Wash leeks very well and slice crosswise, set aside. Leeks are full of grit and dirt so I wash them once they are sliced.
• Slice garlic cloved thinly.
• Trim lamb shanks of all fat and be sure to remove the "silverskin".
• Heat oil med-high in large dutch oven ( larger cuts can be done in a roaster pan and finished in the oven).
• When oil is hot but not smoking, brown meat very well on all sides, set aside.
• Turn pan down to med-low and add garlic and leeks, saute 10 minutes.
• Return shanks to pan, season with s+p and srinkle rosemary over all.
• Add wine and bring to a simmer.
• Reduce heat to low and cover for 2 1/2 hours, turning once to season second side.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH BARLEY

Steps:

• In heavy skillet or dutch oven, brown lamb shanks in hot olive oil. Remove shanks and set aside.
• Saute onion, garlic and spices in oil until onion is soft.
• At this point you can transfer the entire dish to the crock pot, or cook it in the dutch oven. Add salt, barley, tomatoes, tomato paste, water (and wine if desired) to shanks. Make sure all the barley is immersed in liquid.
• TO BAKE: Cover Dutch oven closely and bake in a 325 degree oven for 3 hours or until shanks are very tender and falling off the bone.
• CROCKPOT: Cook the dish on "Low" for at least 8 hours. I found it easiest to assemble the night before and then just plug in the crockpot when I leave for work in the morning.
• In either case, turn off the heat and let the dish sit uncovered for 10-20 minutes. Use a tablespoon and skim off any excess fat from the top before serving.

SPRING LAMB SHANKS, BRAISED

Steps:

• In a large, heavy covered casserole or roasting pan, large enough to hold the lamb shanks, heat half the oil. Add the lamb shanks, a few at a time, and brown them well on all sides. Remove them from the pan.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Add the remaining oil to the pan, lower the heat and saute the onion, leeks and celery until they are soft and lightly browned. Stir in all but one-half teaspoon of the garlic, then add the wine. Simmer for a few minutes, scraping the browned particles from the bottom of the pan.
• Stir in the rosemary, parsley sprigs and bay leaves. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, then return the lamb to the pan. Cover and place in the oven to bake until the lamb is very tender, about three hours.
• While the lamb is baking, mix the remaining garlic with the minced parsley and lemon peel and set aside.
• When the lamb is tender, remove it from the pan. Bring the liquid to a simmer on top of the stove and taste it for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. Dissolve the potato starch or cornstarch in the cold water and stir it in to thicken the sauce, then stir in the lemon juice. Return the lamb to the pan and baste it with the sauce. Keep warm until ready to serve or, if desired, prepare it in advance and reheat it just before serving.
• Transfer the lamb to a platter and spoon the sauce over it. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley, garlic and lemon peel mixture and serve.