Lovely Lovely Lamb

Lamb Shanks Provencal

Don't be put off by the Provencal nomenclature - preparing this one-pot dish is beautifully simple - a fact that becomes doubly pleasing when you sit down to enjoy it. With color and complexity of flavour enough to rival a good red wine, this has to be one of the most satisfying dishes to create and to enjoy -- and as a singleton, I'm happy to say that this is quite possibly the ideal treat-yourself-to-a-private-feast meal. Add a few rustic mashed potatoes (skin-on yukon gold with a dab of butter, a pinch of sea salt and a good dousing of creamy milk), pour a good glass of red wine and voila!

I built the following recipe after reading the original in the Molly Stevens' book, All About Braising. If you can get past the uninspired (and uninspiring) title, it's actually a great resource - not least for the fact that it is absolutely loaded with more one-pot meals than one modern girl could possibly imagine on her own! Anyway - Stevens' recipe involves black olives and more lemon, among other things - I've simplified, adjusted and adapted to come up with a modern girl's version...

What You Need

• 2 small lamb shanks (the following recipe is based around 1 or 2 lamb shanks - simply double or triple amounts if you are serving 4 or 6)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 medium yellow onion (or vidalia when in season - they add a marvellous note of sweetness!)
• 1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes with garlic & herbs OR 1/2-1 lb fresh plum tomatoes, diced
• 2-3 fresh garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup dry white wine or vermouth (I prefer vermouth)
• 1/2 cup homemade chicken stock (look for modern girl how-to coming soon!) - store-bought is a fine alternative if you're not in the mood to play Martha
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 1-2 tsps paprika (Hungarian if you've got a choice!)
  
• Handful of fresh oregano, rosemary and parsley (be as generous as you like!)
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Sea salt
  

What You Do

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F
   
2. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, put flour on a plate or shallow bowl
3. "Dredge" or lightly coat the lamb shanks in the flour (all you do is press each side of the lamb into the flour so that it is covered. Remember to dredge the end of the shank, too, so that all the exposed meat has a good coating of flour on it. This will allow the meat to brown without burning).
4. Heat the olive oil in a large shallow pan (like a Dutch Oven) and brown the lamb shanks on all sides. Only do two at a time if you're preparing more than one, that way you can keep an eye on them. They will brown quickly - turn each shank with tongs (or two wooden spoons if you're like me and don't own any tongs!) until all sides are well-browned.
   
5. Set shanks aside and add onion and garlic to the pan.
   
6. Soften the onion and garlic in the oils already in the pan, then add the chicken broth, tomatoes, part of the vermouth or wine, the herbs and a pinch of salt.
7. Let the mixture simmer for two or three minutes until it comes together, then place the lamb shanks back into the pot.
8. Sprinkle lemon zest, black pepper, a bit more salt (use your judgment!), remaining vermouth/wine and bay leaves over the lamb and sauce.
9. Cover the pot and place it in the oven on a low shelf.
10. Let the lamb "braise" slowly - for one to two hours depending on the number of shanks you are preparing. When the lamb is done it will be very tender and almost - but not quite - falling off the bone.
    
11. Serve one lamb shank on a bed of sauce accompanied by mashed potatoes (see above) or polenta (as per Molly Stevens) and salut!
    

Note: Given the whole French Country feel of this meal, a nice red table wine would be just the thing - and not a bank-breaker if you are dining alone and don't want to crack open the really good stuff...although I would certainly never oppose the idea of doing so!