Lamb Shanks...

Antony Worrall Thompson gives lamb shanks a lift with long, slow cooking and a generous amount of red wine!

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 2 hrs 30 min

Serves:4

Ingredients:

4 lamb shanks

olive oil, for braising (to fill casserole about 1cm deep)

1 leek, roughly chopped

2 sticks celery

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 onions, roughly chopped

1 head garlic, broken up into cloves (unpeeled)

1 bay leaf

1 sprig thyme

1 sprig rosemary

375 ml red wine

600 ml chicken stock

1. Take a casserole (or any oven-proof dish) and place on the hob over a high heat, pour in the olive oil and when hot, add the lamb shanks, turning occasionally until brown. 

2. Once nicely browned, remove the lamb from the pot and tip in the chopped leek, celery, carrot, onion and garlic cloves. Stir them all together and add the bay leaf, thyme and rosemary. These ingredients will all add flavour to the dish but won't be served at the end. 

3. Once the vegetables are lightly browned, place the lamb back into the pot, allowing it to rest on top of the vegetables. 

4. Pour in the red wine and chicken stock, and bring to the boil. 

5. Cover the pot with a lid or kitchen foil, and place in a 150oC/gas 2 oven to braise for 2 hours 30 minutes or up to 5 hours depending on the amount of lamb you use. Serve the lamb shanks with the cooking juices poured over the top.

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