Freda Cenarrusas Braised Lamb Shanks Recipes

FELIX'S BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Season the lamb shanks with salt, pepper thyme and rosemary. In a heavy metal roasting pan, brown the lamb shanks over medium heat in olive oil on stovetop. When shanks are half browned, add the onion, carrot, celery, potato, and garlic. Caramelize all the vegetables while stirring often until golden brown. Strain the fat from the vegetables and shanks. Dust pan with flour and cook it until everything is well coated in the flour. Add the chicken stock, white wine, and port wine. Place the pan, uncovered, in the oven for 2 hours.
• When shanks are cooked, remove them from the sauce. They should be tender, but not falling off bone. Puree the vegetables and sauce together and strain through a fine sieve. Taste for seasoning, and add balsamic vinegar..
• Serve the lamb shanks with the sauce. Mashed potatoes and Brussel sprouts make a nice accompaniment to this dish.

FREDA CENARRUSA'S BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Brown the lamb shanks in a Dutch oven or a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• When the lamb shanks are browned, reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and the garlic and work them down among the lamb shanks so they are on the bottom of the skillet. Cook, stirring as best you can by moving the lamb shanks around in the skillet, until the onions and garlic begin to turn golden, about five minutes. Pour in the wine and stir. When it begins to boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the cooking juices have thickened somewhat and the lamb shanks are tender enough to fall from the bone. Depending on the size and quality of the lamb shanks, this will take from three to four hours. If the cooking juices are browning too rapidly, add a half cup of water and continue cooking.
• When the shanks are done, remove them from the cooking juices. Remove any meat from the bone and cut away any gristle you don't want to eat. If there are very large pieces of meat, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Keep them warm. Increase the heat under the pan to medium and reduce the cooking juices, stirring up any brown bits, until they are thickened, about five minutes. Season to taste and keep warm.
• While the sauce is reducing, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the egg noodles, stir and cook until they are al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain.
• Mince the fresh parsley and the garlic clove together.
• To serve, divide the noodles among six warmed dinner plates or shallow soup bowls. Place equal amounts of lamb atop the noodles and pour the sauce over all. Garnish with the parsley and garlic and serve immediately.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large Dutch oven generously with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Season the shanks generously with salt and add them to the pan. Brown well on all sides. This is an incredibly important step; do not rush it. Meanwhile, puree the onions, carrots, celery and garlic in a food processor until it becomes a coarse paste. Remove and set aside. Remove the shanks from the pan to a sheet tray. Discard the excess fat from the pan. Add a little more oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add the pureed veggies. Season with salt, to taste. Saute the veggies until they are very brown and aromatic, about 20 minutes. The brown veggies should form a sort of crust on the bottom of the pan, do not let this burn; it is where a lot of the flavor is! Don't rush this step either, since this is where you will develop the brown color and flavor. Add the tomato paste and brown for 5 minutes. Stir in the wine, chopped rosemary and thyme bundle. Stir frequently and cook until the wine has reduced by about half. Add the shanks back to the pot and pour in 3 to 4 cups of water. The shanks should be submersed, if they are not, add more water. Add the bay leaves to the pan, cover and put in the preheated oven. The cooking time will be about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Turn the shanks over about halfway through the cooking time. Check the shanks every 45 minutes or so. If the liquid has reduced too much add more water. Defat as you go. Remove the lid during the last 30 minutes of cooking time for maximum browning. When the shanks are done the meat should be incredibly tender and flavorful. Transfer to serving plates and garnish with Gremolata. Serve with Hard Polenta Cakes, if desired, Call yourself a superstar!!! ;
• In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and set aside until ready to use. ;

FRENCH ONION-BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH BARLEY AND GREENS

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Lightly season lamb with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat the oil in a 7- to 8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high until shimmering. Add the lamb shanks and cook, turning occasionally, until well-browned on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer the lamb to a rimmed baking sheet or large plate, and set aside.
• Add the onions, leeks and carrots to the Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium. Season lightly with salt and cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the Dutch oven with a wooden spoon, until the onions and leeks are as caramelized as you'd like, about 20 minutes for lightly caramelized onions that give the stew a more savory flavor, or 45 minutes or longer for deeply caramelized onions that will make the stew sweeter. If browned bits start building up on the bottom of the pot, add water a tablespoon at a time, scraping them up and reincorporating them before continuing.
• When the onions are ready, add the garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and stir until it evenly coats all of the vegetables. Add the wine, scrape the bottom and sides of the pot, and cook until the wine is reduced by at least half, a minute or two. Add the chicken stock and the rosemary. (Tie the rosemary into a bundle with kitchen twine if you want to make it easier on yourself later.)
• Return the lamb shanks to the pot. Increase heat to high, bring the pot to a simmer, and transfer to the oven. Place a lid on top, leaving it cracked by an inch or so. Cook for 2 1/2 hours, then remove from oven. Flip the lamb, and stir the barley and spinach into the broth, making sure it's all submerged. Return to the oven, cover with the lid cracked, and continue cooking until a metal skewer inserted into the lamb meets very little resistance, the meat falls off the bone with a little tug, and the barley is fully cooked but still chewy, 30 to 45 minutes longer.
• Transfer the pot to the stovetop, remove and discard the rosemary, and adjust the consistency to a saucy, stewlike mixture by simmering to thicken, or thin it out by adding water. Stirring as you go to prevent the bottom from sticking. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Pour the oil in a casserole dish or roasting tray large enough to fit all the shanks. With the pan set over a high heat on the hob, spend a good 10 mins browning the lamb all over.
• Remove the lamb, add the onion and carrot and cook for 10 mins until starting to brown. Stir in the herbs and garlic and cook for a few mins more. Stir in the flour and tomato purée, season well then pour over the wine and stock.
• Return the lamb shanks to the pan. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid or tightly with foil and cook in the oven, undisturbed, for 1½-2 hrs until lamb is tender. Remove the lamb from the sauce and set aside.
• Put pan back on the hob and bubble the sauce down for about 15 mins until rich and glossy. Pass through a sieve into a jug. The lamb and sauce can be stored in the fridge for two days or frozen for one month. To serve, reheat the lamb in the sauce, adding a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH PEPPERS

Steps:

• Pat dry lamb shanks. In a heavy casserole or Dutch oven that will hold all the shanks, heat oil on medium-high. Add lamb shanks and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove to a platter. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low.
• Add bell peppers and onions to the pan. Sauté, stirring, until the vegetables wilt and just begin to color, 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, dill seed, paprika and cinnamon. Stir. Add stock and wine. Bring to a simmer. Stir in tomato paste and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in lemon juice. Return lamb shanks to the pot along with any juices on the platter. Cover them with a piece of parchment or waxed paper, cover pot with lid, reduce heat to very low and cook about 2 hours, basting the shanks occasionally and turning them at least once until the meat is very tender when pierced with a knife.
• Remove shanks from the pot. Increase heat to medium and reduce sauce by about a third, about 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Return shanks to the pot, baste and reheat. Serve directly from the casserole or transfer to a serving dish. Strew with fresh dill before serving.

SLOW-BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, brown shanks well in oil; this will take as long as half an hour (you can cover the pan to avoid spattering). Sprinkle with salt and pepper as they cook.
• Lower the heat, pour off the excess fat, add the wine or stock. Simmer over low heat for 1½ to 2 hours, covered, turning and adding water, about ¼ cup at a time, as necessary, until the meat is falling of the bone.
• Cool. Take meat off the bone and reserve the liquid. When the liquid is cool, skim the fat and reserve the juice. Use meat and juice in the following recipes: Tomato Sauce With Lamb and Pasta; Indian Lamb Curry With Basmati Rice; Chinese Braised Lamb Shanks.