Red wine lamb shanks with orange mint gremolata
Filling your home with puffs of savoury aromas erupting from the pot as this rustic recipe trembles slowly on the stove will almost be as pleasurable as delving into a plateful. A hearty stew with tender, fall-off-the-bone lamb makes for a simple warming feast when chilly weather sets in. Food to warm the soul.
(serves 4)
¼ cup olive oil
4 lamb shanks
4 carrots, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
4 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1T tomato paste
2 cups red wine
1 cup beef stock
Gremolata
zest of 1 orange
2T finely chopped mint
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
butter beans or mashed potatoes, to serve
Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan and brown the shanks well. Remove them before sautéing the carrots, onions and celery. Once softened, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer gently for 2-3 hours or until the meat falls off the bone. Make the gremolata by mixing all the ingredients. Serve the lamb shanks with butter beans or mashed potatoes and sprinkle with the gremolata.