Recipe courtesy of Mark Morais
Lamb Shanks
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 4 servings
- Total: 1 day 2 hr 45 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Inactive: 1 day
- Cook: 2 hr 15 min
Ingredients
1 gallon water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup salt
4 to 6 lamb shanks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Granulated garlic, to taste
All-purpose flour, to coat
2 to 3-ounces virgin olive oil
1 (96-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 bulb fresh fennel, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup red wine
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup freshly chopped Italian parsley leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
1/2 cup freshly chopped oregano leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
Italian Cheese, for garnish
Directions
- For the brine:
- Place the water, sugar, and salt into a large container. Carefully add the lamb shanks and soak for 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Remove shanks from the brine and pat dry. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic, to taste.
- Coat shanks with flour and saute in 2 to 3-ounces of virgin olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes each side.
- Place the shanks in a roasting pan with the crushed tomatoes.
- In same saute pan that the shanks were seared in, saute the carrots, celery stalks, onion, fresh fennel and garlic until tender, about 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and add to the roasting pan.
- Deglaze saute pan with 1 cup each red wine and orange juice. Reduce by half and add to roasting pan.
- Add 1/2 cup each fresh Italian parsley and fresh oregano to roasting pan. Cover and roast in oven for 2 hours or until tender. After 1 hour, turn shanks and cover for remaining time, making sure shanks are covered in the gravy.
- Garnish with fresh oregano sprigs and parsley and your favorite Italian cheese. Best served with polenta!