SLOW COOKED SHANK OF LAMB

The shank of lamb is from the end of the hind leg. Think of the bit between the knee and the ankle. You cook it whole and serve one per person so they look huge. But a lot of the total weight is a single bone which runs through the centre.

As you can imagine, this part is well used so can be a little tough but a couple of hours in a simmering red wine sauce will sort that out. Shanks are best cooked in advance, cooled in the cooking liquid then reheated as you need them, so you need to start way in advance, like, the day before.

Method:

Season the shanks with sea salt and pepper then stuff a sprig of rosemary into the thin end. Heat a little oil in a pan and add the shanks, browning and turning until they are sealed and colored all over. Remove them and set aside.

The pan should be deep enough to hold the shanks and enough liquid to completely cover them, but first...

Throw some sliced onions, carrots and celery into the lamb pan and cook over a medium heat until nicely browned. Return the lamb to the pan, add a full bottle of red wine, a tablespoon of tomato puree, half a bulb of garlic, a handful of fresh herbs, and enough unsalted stock (preferably home made!) to just cover. Turn the heat up high, skim off any impurities that rise to the top, reduce the heat and simmer gently for two hours, adding more liquid as necessary. Turn off the heat and allow the lamb to cool in the liquid.

Once cool, take the lamb from the sauce, then strain the liquid into a clean pan and skim off the fat. Bring to the boil and reduce it to thicken as necessary. You really don't need to add anything else... apart from the lamb which will take about 20 minutes to reheat in a barely simmering sauce. Serve with Mash, Leek Pudding or both.