lamb shanks (and other braising parts)

[lagatta]

Browsing, I see many references to lamb shanks but not a lot of cooking ideas or directives. I was at my favourite Greek grocery, where they are going a bit mad in anticipation of Orthodox Easter. They have local spring lamb at about $13kg/$6lb (yes, approximate) for stewing meat, but I noticed that there were four little shanks for the same price. I haven't cooked those in a long time, and the ones I did cook were much larger. I presume that the cooking time is less for the little ones, but that they should still be braised rather than roasted. Ideas?

[Deleted]

I like cooking them tagine-style: onions, spices, honey and prunes. Braised, of course.

[bixaorellana]

I haven't made lamb shanks in years (because of unavailability where I live). However, lamb shanks & lentils used to be a mainstay of my cooking repertoire.

There are tons of recipes online with many variations. I'd say this is a good take-off point:
www.savvymom.ca/index.php/eatsavvy/meals/slow_cooked_lamb_shanks_with_lentils_garlic_rosemary

[Deleted]

I brown them in a skillet and then add potatoes, carrots and turnips. Add beer and cover on low heat.

[lagatta]

Those are all great ideas. No onions, kerouac? I'd think they'd want that bit of sweetness.

I suppose I have to check the cooking times as most seem to be for larger shanks. I'd only eat one, but a hearty meat-eater could easily eat two of these. Id like the tagine, but if my friend from Argentina has returned (she is returning soon), she'd find that too spicy - they like fairly plain food, northern Italian/northern Spanish and of course meat. Her ancestry is Basque and Umbrian. I rarely cook red meat and don't want to spoil this treat.

Orthodox Easter is on May Day this year. What will the Greek Workers' Association do? Oh, not likely to be churchgoers, but obviously interested in seasonal feasts.

[chexbres]

lagatta - will you cook them on the stove or let them simmer in the oven? If the shanks are small, the bone/meat ratio will be high, so they won't need to cook too long. I would think 90 mins to 2 hours total.
I prefer to brown on the stove and remove them, then brown onions, carrots, leeks, garlic and some tomato paste in the same pot. Deglaze with as much red Burgundy as you need, then put the shanks and 1/3 the vegetables back in, add a little chopped canned tomato, one or two bay leaves and beef or vegetable stock to cover the meat about halfway and put in the oven at 300 F or the equivalent until the meat shrinks from the bone about 1/3 of the way.
Then add the rest of the vegetables (I'd cook potatoes separately, if you want them), salt, pepper, some fresh thyme, just a pinch of cinnamon or 5-spice powder about half an hour before you're ready to serve.
This is really good served with "gremolata" on top - finely-diced flat leaf parsley, raw garlic and lemon rind, mixed with a little bit of olive oil, like a pesto.

[lagatta]

It would be more practical for me to simmer them slowly on the stove or in my so-called electric wok, which a friend gave me. It is fine for simmering dishes, but not for high-heat wok cookery. I only have a countertop convection oven, and don't think I have any stoveworthy pots that would fit in it. Yes, gremolata is great, and something the Argie would like.

If my oven were just a bit bigger, my Le Creuset skillet (with a matt black enamel coating) would be perfect. I do have a nice oval enamelled cast iron pan; I'll see if they'll fit in that. If so, I can finish them that way. I'll have to cover them with foil, as of course it has no lid.

[breeze]

Lamb is expensive here but lamb shank is one of the more affordable parts. The first time I cooked them was milanese style and it's still my favorite (white wine, bouillon, parsley and garlic, lemon rind).

You've encouraged me to look at the price next time I'm in a good supermarket. Step one: check price. Step two: come home and mull it over. Step three: check under the couch cushions to see if we have untold wealth. Step four: wait till our next trip to civilization and either buy or don't buy. Step five: repeat.

[Deleted]

All of my meat purchases take price very much into consideration.

[lagatta]

Moi aussi. I'd never have bought these if they weren't exceptionally good price and quality (due to all the lambs this grocery was getting in due to Greek Easter). Breeze, you don't seem to have enough Mediterranean immigrants!

I think I'm doing something a bit similar to the Milanese. I have concentrated stock (a "fond"), some wine, lemon juice and have finely chopped a bowlful of shallots). I might add a bit of tomato purée - not a lot, it won't be a "red sauce". I've browned them all over.

[chexbres]

I am now eating meat 2 times a week - I will splurge on fresh-ground hamburger, liver (veal or chicken) and sliced roast beef - but I eat half the portions I used to. Other times, it's canned fish - or fresh shrimp, if they're on special.
It's all about the budget for me, too - beans, lentils, rice, pasta are all a lot cheaper.

[lagatta]

I did wind up finishing the shanks in the little convection oven - I have a rectangular Pyrex dish that was deep enough (and I boiled down the sauce a bit first). They seem nice and tender and the sauce is lovely - though here, real Burgundy is too expensive for home cooking - we drink it. I used a cup of Portuguese wine, and the lovely jellied stock.

Chexbres, I don't eat a lot of meat either, but at the same time I don't want to eat too starchy a diet.

I didn't eat a shank, as I had leftovers I had to finish. For one thing, yesterday a friend took me to a Vietnamese reataurant, and here we do have the supposedly barbaric practice of "doggy bags". Not in the fanciest places, but this was a family restaurant, not a fancy place. And a byow, which started here because wine is more expensive than in France, but people in Québec love to imbibe.

[tod2]

Tonight I will attempt braising some lamb ribs on a two plate stove that can only be controlled by switching it on and off on the main power point.....such is life in the bush .
They are a South African favourite and even in English we refer to them as 'ribbetjies' (ribllettes).
What to go with them....maybe Spanish rice with any vegetables still waiting to be used up.