Hi °C | Lo °C Serves 4
If there is one thing Norman knows how to cook, it's lamb. My dad taught me to make little incisions in the meat to infuse flavour. Cooked low and slow, lamb shank should fall off the bone and melt in your mouth. Served with a chunky tomato stew for an easy side and a topping like a gremolata used in Italian cuisine that adds freshness and flavour. So both Greekish, Italianish, and Normanish!
Ingredients
4 lamb shanks
2 T pure olive oil
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
4 medium carrots, roughly chopped
4 sticks of celery, roughly chopped
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
12 peppercorns
1 bottle of good red wine
Chunky tomato stew:
1 T olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
2 sticks celery, large dice
2 medium carrots, large dice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tins chopped tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 t sugar
1 tin butter beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper
Citrus mint topping
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
2 T parsley, chopped
2 T mint, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Method
• Make six tiny incisions into each lamb shank with a sharp knife. Push a slice of garlic and a few rosemary leaves into the incisions. Season the lamb with sea salt and black pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 150°C. In a large casserole dish, heat the olive oil. Brown the lamb on all three sides over a high heat, four mins per side. Add the veggies to the casserole. Pour in the wine and boil for three mins. Add bay leaves and peppercorns. Cover the casserole tightly and transfer to oven. Braise the lamb, turning once, for three hours until tender.
• To make the stew, heat the olive oil in a pot. Add in the veggies. Place a circle of parchment paper on top of them to trap the steam. Cook on a low heat for 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for two mins before adding everything but the beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 mins. Add in the beans for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
• Mix the citrus-herb topping together and set aside.
• Make a 'bed' of stew on each plate, place the lamb on top, discard the cooking veggies and drizzle a bit of the cooking liquid over. Finish with the citrus mint topping.
Irish Independent
