LAMB SHANKS IN RED WINE SAUCE RECIPE ADAPTED FROM MICHAEL MOORE

Last Thursday I had the privilege of having dinner with my friend.  It was a rainy wet day and she thought of making the perfect winter warmer recipe, "Lamb shanks in red wine sauce".  She had made this recipe in the past and said that the lamb turned out beautiful.  I love lamb shanks and the only time I ever get to eat it is when I'm at a pub so the thought of her making this dish was exhilarating for me.  As it turned out the dish was delicious.  Sure, my friend said it needed another half hour to cook before the lamb pieces fall off the bone but I still loved it.  It had already been in the oven for 1.5 hours.  Her kids and her husband were getting hungry so we ate this hearty dish as it was after cooking it for 1.5 hours.

There wasn't much ingredients needed either for the dish so its quite easy to make and it's very tasty.  Check out the recipe below.  It takes about 2 hours to prepare, cook and serve the lamb shanks.

Delicious Lamb shanks

Ingredients include carrots, oregano, onions and bay leaf

Ingredients
1 tablespoon of olive oil
3 medium lamb shanks
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic
1 onion diced
2 medium carrots peeled
4 cups of chicken stock
400 g can diced tomatoes
1 fresh bay leaf
1 sprig of oregano
Parmesan cheese and crusty bread to serve


Method

1) Heat oil in a large earthenware pot.  Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper.

Seasoned lamb with salt and pepper.

2) Cook shanks over high heat until browned all over.  Add garlic, onion and wine.  Bring to boil, simmer uncovered for 5 minutes or until reduced by half.

Browned lamb shanked with red wine, garlic and onion added

3) Add carrots, stock, tomatoes, bay leaf and oregano.  Bring to boil.  Cook covered for 11/2 hr hours or until lamb is very tender and falls off the bone.  Cool slightly.

Add carrots, stock, tomatoes, bay leaf and oregano

4) Serve the lamb on a plate and sprinkle some parmesan cheese if you like to.  Have some crusty bread  with the lamb shanks.

Lamb shanks

Just looking at the pictures again make my mouth water as this dish is simply delicious!  If you don't have a earthenware pot, it's time to buy one.    These are special pots that are made out of clay that can be used over an open flame.  My friend has the La Chasseur brand which is made in France.  The quality is superior over other clay pots.  They can be purchased at Peters at Kensington and are over $100 each on special.  I need to invest in one myself, coming to end of financial year, I'm hoping for a great sale as these pots are rather expensive but a great investment indeed.