Lamb Shanks with Tomato and Rosemary

For reasons I simply do not understand, it has been hard to find lamb shanks these days in Regina chain supermarkets so, I would recommend Fellinger's Red Meat Wagon on 13th Avenue. Kurt has a good supply and it is Canadian Lamb, not New Zealand.

One of the things I really like about lamb shanks is that they are easy to make, fall off the bone tender and, no carving, everyone has their own shank.

I have several recipes. This is one of my favorites and it is what I'll be cooking for supper this evening using tomatoes and rosemary from my garden.


INGREDIENTS

* 4 lamb shanks
* 3 tablespoons olive oil or butter
* 1 large onion, chopped finely
* 1 to 2 carrots, finely diced
* 3 sticks celery (no leaves), finely diced
* 2 garlic cloves, chopped
* Oregano
* Rosemary
* Thyme
* 4 bay leaves
* 2 or 3 fresh sprigs rosemary, if you can get them
* 2 or 3 large tomatoes chopped
* 12 ounces rich stock
* 6 ounces red wine(Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon)
* Black Pepper, freshly ground

Heat oven to 350

Brown the lamb shanks in the oil in a heavy frying pan.

Transfer to a large cast iron pot

Cook onion, carrot and celery in the same frying pan over low heat until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the mixture to the meat and deglaze, pan with the stock and wine then add the liquid to pot.

Turn the heat on under the pot and add the herbs, rosemary sprigs and freshly milled pepper (NO salt), tomatoes. When it starts to bubble, cover tightly and transfer to the oven. Cook at 325° F for 3 hours turning meat every 30 minutes and stirring gently.

After that time, remove 2 or 3 good sized ladlesful of the vegetable mixture in the pot with plenty of liquid and whizz in your blender until smooth. Add this puree back into the casserole and gently mix it in. Add a bit of flour if it needs to thicken a bit. Serve one lamb shank and a portion of the sauce to each person. Don’t serve the left over carrots in the pot. They were for flavor while cooking.

Serve with mashed potatoes, and carrots, peas or Brussel sprouts