Braised Greek Style Lamb Shanks with Tomato and Red Wine
A simple recipe for greek lamb shanks passed down in our family.
Servings: 4 People
Calories: 337kcal
Cost: 30
Equipment
- 1 Large oven safe braising or roasting pan or slow cooker
Ingredients
Shanks
- 4 front lamb shanks or goat shanks
- 1.5 Tablespoons minced fresh garlic cloves about 2 large cloves
- ½ Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 cups lamb or chicken stock or water
- 2 1 inch strips of orange zest bruised
- 1 2 inch piece of cinnamon
- 1 small onion coarsely chopped
- 2 cups diced tomatoes or 1 15 oz can
- 1 cup dry red wine
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons lamb lard or light olive oil
Serving
- Steamed rice and wilted greens for serving (optional)
Instructions
Trim the shanks
- First, trim the top 2 inches of the shanks by cutting around the bone with a paring knife. Remove the meat to expose the bone, which makes for a nice presentation. This step is optional.
Season the shanks
- Season the lamb shanks aggressively with salt and pepper (roughly 3/4 teaspoon salt per pound) and allow to sit overnight.
Braising
- Brown the lamb shanks very well in 2 tablespoons of the lard or oil over medium high heat in a heavy pan like a cast iron skillet, then transfer the seared lamb shanks to a baking dish. Pour off any dark fat from the pan, then add remaining tablespoon of fat and add the garlic, cooking until deep golden in color.
- Quickly add the add the onion and ginger, stir to halt the garlic cooking, and cook for 5-10 minutes more.
- Add the wine, scrape up any browned bits, and pour the mixture over the shanks, along with the, zest, stock, cinnamon and tomatoes. If you have a deep pan, or are cooking a smaller number of shanks, you could brown and cook the shanks in the same pot, instead of transferring them to a baking dish.
- Cover the shanks with a lid or parchment and then aluminum foil if using a large baking dish, then bake in a preheated oven at 325 for exactly 1.5 hours, or until the meat just gives when pierced with a fork.
- The meat should not fall off the bone, which would mean the shanks are over-cooked. Skim as much fat as you can from the sauce.
- Remove the zest and discard, then transfer the liquid to a blender and pulse, or buzz gently with a hand-blender. (If you want, you can also serve the sauce as is if you like it) Reduce the sauce a bit to thicken it to a loose gravy, taste and correct the seasoning for salt, then serve alongside the lamb shanks at the table, with steamed rice and wilted greens seasoned with lemon juice on the side.
Notes
For a fun variation, the shanks can be smoked for two hours at 300 F before braising to add a rich, smoky flavor to the dish.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Shank | Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 331mg | Potassium: 792mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 144IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 5mg