Braised Lamb Shanks with Middle Eastern Spices

Lamb Shanks are very trendy because they are full of great flavour and end up with a tempting, melting texture when they are cooked slowly. The sauce for this dish is rich and thick. Serve with mashed potatoes, couscous or noodles.

Ingredients:

2 tsp (10 mL) ground cumin

2 tsp (10 mL) ground ginger

2 tsp (10 mL) ground coniander

2 tsp (10 mL) paprika

1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon

1/2 tsp (2 mL) cayenne

6 lamb shanks

3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper1 onion, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup (125 mL) coarsely chopped carrots

1/2 cup (125 mL) coarsely chopped celery

1 bottle (341 mL) beer, preferably ale

2 cups (500 mL) beef stock, homemade or canned low-salt

1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme1 bay leaf

8 whole garlic cloves, peeled

Vegetable Garnish:

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

3 zucchini, cut in 3/4-inch (2-cm) dice

1 red pepper, cut in 3/4-inch (2-cm) dice

1 yellow pepper, cut in 3/4-inch (2-cm) dice

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Combine cumin, ginger, coriander, paprika, cinnamon and cayenne. Toss lamb shanks with 2 tsp (10 mL) spice mixture, reserve remainder.

2. Heat 2 tbsp (25 mL) oil in skillet or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Brown lamb shanks in batches on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve. Wipe out pan and add remaining oil.

3. Add onion, carrot and celery. Sauté until onion is browned slightly, about 5 minutes. Add reserved spice mixture and sauté for 3 seconds. Add beer, stock, thyme and bay leaf and bring to boil. Return meat to pan.

4. Bake for 1 hour, add garlic, cloves and bake one hour longer or until meat is tender and nearly falling off the bone.

5. Remove meat. Skim fat, then remove vegetables with a slotted spoon. Discard bay leaf. Purée vegetables in a food processor or blender. Stir back into stock and reduce until sauce lightly coats a spoon, about 10 minutes.

6. To make vegetable garnish, add oil into skillet on medium-high heat. Add vegetables and sauté until vegetables are crisp tender, about 5-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.7. Stir vegetable garnish and lamb back into sauce. Simmer together for 15 minutes or until lamb and vegetables are reheated. Serve with potatoes, couscous, or noodles. Serves 6