Slow-Braised Spring Lamb Shanks

 pregnancy cravings are a funny thing.

shortly after christmas, when i was in the throes of trimester one, we took a short trip to montreal. one of the perks of living a stone’s throw from the border are seemingly fancy, international trips. it was cold and lovely. we barely caught the last blips of the old town’s christmas festivities and had a great time.

one night for dinner we went to an old spaghetti restaurant, of course after first checking that they offered gluten-free pastas. yes! l’usine de spaghetti was hopping that night, but luckily we went a bit early. (the super cool old-school restaurant even boasts that charles dickens wrote a tale of two cities in their back room.) though initially convinced of eating a plate of gluten-free pasta, i immediately changed my mind after seeing the braised lamb shank on the menu.

since that meal i haven’t been able to stop thinking about braised lamb shanks.

here’s where my sweet friends at mountain states rosen came to this old pregnant lady’s rescue! they generously sent me these lamb shanks to fill my cravings, which was thrilling also because i so believe in their philosophy of ranching. MSR is a co-op of ranchers across the country. their ranchers are committed to their animals, never giving them antibiotics or hormones. and the consumer can rest assured the lamb they purchase is quality.

the lamb shanks that came from my oven were divine… flavorful, delicious and falling off the bone. this restaurant-quality recipe is actually easy and user-friendly. maybe my favorite way to enjoy lamb right now…

i think this baby may just grow up to be a lamb-lover!

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Slow-Braised Spring Lamb Shanks

Servings 2 servings.

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons olive oil divided
• 2 celery ribs chopped
• 1 carrot peeled and chopped
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons pepper
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 lamb shanks cut to the bone 1-inch from the bone-end)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 tablespoon grated organic orange rind

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large sauce pan. Add celery, carrot and onion; cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables soften. Add tomato paste; stir well and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.
• Stir in pepper, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, garlic and anchovy paste. Cook 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in red wine, deglazing the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Add chicken broth; stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and keep warm.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet. Sear lamb, working in batches, until shanks are browned on all side. Transfer shanks to a 13- x 9-inch baking pan.
• Pour broth mixture over shanks. Cover with foil and bake at 325° for 1 hour. Remove foil, and continue cooking for another 2-3 hours, turning shanks every 30 minutes.
• Remove and discard bay leaf and herb stems from sauce in pan.
• Combine parsley and orange rind in a small bowl.
• Serve shanks with sauce, topped with parsley mixture.

*recipe was adapted from these braised lamb shanks.