Traditional Lamb Shanks

Braised Red Wine and Rosemary Lamb Shanks

Robust flavours come together in this classic lamb shank recipe

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 2 hours
Serves: 4

Ingredients
4 lamb shanks
1/4 cup plain flour
8 whole baby brown onions, peeled
4 stalks rosemary
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 cups red wine
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
Mashed potato and steamed green vegetables to serve

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Season the flour with salt and pepper and mix well. Dust lamb shanks in the seasoned flour and shake off excess.
Heat a large frypan over a medium high heat and add a little oil. Brown the lamb shanks well on all sides. Remove and place them in a small roasting dish or large casserole dish.
Reduce heat in pan and add a little extra oil. Add the baby onions, cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add rosemary and garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
Gradually pour in the combined wine and stock and stir until the mixture boils. Pour over the lamb shanks. Cover the dish tightly with its lid or foil and place in oven. Cook for 1 1/2-2 hours or until lamb shanks are very tender. Turn the shanks occasionally and adjust the heat as it cooks if needed. You may need to add a little beef stock or water if it appears too dry.
Serve shanks with a spoonful of the thickened sauce, mashed potato and green vegetables.

Slow-cooked Lamb Shanks made Deliciously Simple

Six surprisingly different ways to cook with lamb shanks this winter

Cooked until they're fall-apart tender, lamb shanks make a delicious and satisfying meal. They are quick and easy to prepare, with the oven, stovetop or slow cooker releasing their mouth-watering succulence and flavour.

No matter the recipe, lamb shanks are at their best when browned in a pan then finished off low and slow in cooking liquid. Great for a get together or as easy midweek dinner, simply put the lamb shanks in a slow cooker in the morning before heading out for the day for an irresistible dinner awaiting you after work.

Lamb shank handy cooking tips:

Don't rush the initial stage of browning the lamb. This will result in a meal rich in colour and flavour.
Make use of the rich flavours left from browning the lamb. After removing the lamb, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and add them to your dish to make good use of all the flavour.
It's easy to use the stovetop rather than an oven. Use a heavy-based pan or dish, stir the meal often and adjust the temperature if needed to avoid the mixture sticking to the bottom and burning.
Maintain a gentle simmer. Controlling the heat is important; too low a heat will affect flavour, too high a heat and the meal will boil, resulting in tough, dry lamb.
Converting a recipe for the slow cooker. As a general guide, you can convert any oven or stovetop recipe by allowing 5-6 hours on low or 2-2.5 hours on high in a slow cooker for every hour in the original recipe. Since there is little evaporation when cooking with a slow cooker, reduce the liquid the recipe calls for by about a cup. The lamb will fall off the bone when tender and ready.

For additional recipe inspiration, visit www.australianlamb.com.au