Servings: 4 · Prep Time: 15 mins · Cooking Time: 360 mins
Total Time: 375 mins

Dinner | Fibre

There is no better feeling at the dinner table than when meltingly tender lamb just falls off the bone. Which wine should you use? The wines you like to drink. A naff wine will spoil the dish so don't go for the �3 bottle, but also spending more than �6 or �7 is not necessary. I prefer to use Pinot Noir because not only does it taste great, it contains the highest concentration of a super healthy antioxidant called resveratrol. What makes this dish even more awesome, is that if you don't like washing up; and who does, you can cook this all in just one pot!

Ingredients

  • Lamb Shank (Approx 800g)
  • Red Wine (1/2 to 1 bottle)
  • Red Onion
  • Thyme (a few sprigs)
  • Garlic (5 or 6 cloves)
  • Carrots (3 or 4)
  • Celery (3 sticks)
  • Tomato (1 can)
  • Tomato pure (1 or 2 tsp)
  • Beef stock (300ml (optional))
  • Konjac Flour (1 or 2 tsp)
  • Rosemary (3 tsp)
  • Oregano (3 tsp)
  • Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Method

Although you can cook this in one pot, it tastes best if you first brown off your lamb shank in a frying pan with olive oil. Why? Because browning is the key flavour enhancer for any protein that's slow cooked in a braising liquid.

Because I have such a big family, unless I can find a big shank, I sometimes cook 2 lamb shanks at the same time.

Sit the lamb on top of your vegetables and poor over the red wine. As you must completely cover the meat, either use more wine or beef stock. If you want the sauce to thicken, add some tomato pure and konjac flour. Cook in an oven for 3 hours or up to 6 hours in a slow cooker. In-fact, to be honest, its almost impossible to overcook this dish.

Save back some thyme sprigs and use to garnish.

Did you know? Lamb shanks are from the lower leg of the lamb and as they are tougher cut of meat they are less inexpensive by weight. It is also why you need to slow cook them. Also by slow cooking, more of the marrow of the bone is realised and this is great for healthy joints and slowing down the ageing of the skin!

TIP: Try and find a pot to cook in that needs the minimum amount of juice to cover the meat, in other words the meat is a snug fit.