Lamb Shanks in Red Wine

      With as much snow as we have had here in Michigan I felt the need to step up my hearty meal intake. When the temperature take a dive I like to help keep the house pleasant and warm by preparing a lot of stewed or braised foods. One of my favorites is braised lamb shanks. I try to purchase them when they are on sale and save them for the proper occasion.Lamb ( and beef or Pork ) Shanks have a tremendous amount of gelatin. This makes any preparation with them extra special.

Having dug out of the storm earlier this week I was surprised when I  came back from the store in clear weather only to find the car covered by 2 inches of snow not 10 minutes later.

 

After this I came to the conclusion that this would be a perfect day for the lamb shank I had.

  Your basic stew relies on the protein and the aromatic vegetables ( Onion,Carrot and Celery). In this version I replace the celery with fennel for a spicy twist. I also add a gremolata towards the end of the cooking process which brings a freshness to the preparation. A gremolata, traditionally, is a combination of fresh herbs, lemon rind,garlic and parley. For this preparation I used the fennel fronds to replace the parsley and orange rind to replace the lemon giving this braise a fresh and exciting taste.

As with all Stew/Braises low an slow is the rule!!

Braised Lamb Shanks in Red Wine with a Fennel and Orange Gremolata

For 2

For Lamb

2 Lamb Shanks

1 Cup Onion Rough Chopped

1/2 cup Fennel Bulb Chopped

1/2 cup Carrot Chopped

1/2 cup Flour

1 cup red wine

oil

• Dredge Lamb Shanks in flour and sear in a hot pan with oil

• remove lamb an saute vegetable until translucent

• Return lamb to the pan, add red wine, cover and simmer until tender.

Gremolata

Ingredients:

• Zest of one large orange
• 1 lg. or 2 sm. cloves garlic; crushed
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fennel fronds
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Stir in  Gremolata and return pan to oven. Continue to cook for 30 minutes.

Bon Apetit!