Lamb Shanks Recipe

With this change in weather it has got me thinking about all the yummy winter dishes that I love to cook. So I thought I would share with you, one of my all time favourites. This dish has been tried and tested with many glasses of red wine by family and friends over the years. So if you are looking for something hearty to warm you up why not try this 'Lamb Shanks with tomato and rosemary' recipe by Donna Hay.

First things first though, may I suggest a good glass of red to go with this. Have you tried 'Two Hands - Gnarly Dudes' Shiraz from the Barossa Valley? be careful it can become addictive!

lamb shanks with tomato and rosemary

8 lamb shanks trimmed (ask your butcher to cut the ends for you so they fit better in your pan)
plain flour for coating
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup red wine
2 1/2 cups beef stock
400g can tomatoes, lightly crushed
1 tablespoon rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
sea salt and cracked black pepper

Toss the lamb shanks in flour, shaking of any excess. Place half of the oil in a large, deep frying pan over high heat. Add the shanks and brown well. Remove and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the pan and cook the onions and garlic until golden. Return the shanks to the pan. Add the wine, stock, tomatoes and rosemary and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
Remove the shanks and continue to simmer the sauce, uncovered for 10 minutes or until reduced and thickened. Return the shanks to the pan with the parsley, salt and pepper. Mix through and serve with mashed potatoes. Serves 4

I find sometimes I need to cook the shanks for longer than an hour. I have also cooked this recipe in my slow cooker which I found that if you add a little cornflour when you are simmering the sauce it helps. I have even cooked this recipe in my pressure cooker in just 45 minutes, but again I needed to add cornflour to the sauce.

I hope you and your family enjoy it as much as my family and I do.

Deb x