Christine had a little lamb...

I have a slight obsession with lamb. Whenever there’s an occasion to celebrate or some excuse for an ornate meal, I turn to lamb. Whether it’s shanks, rack, loin, shoulder, leg… I love it all! I think my love of lamb has stunted my culinary growth a bit though. When faced with the choice of the choicest meats, I can’t help myself. Why would I make a three-bone prime rib roast for $100 when I can make rack of lamb for 8 for $60? Serving lamb reaps a level of impressiveness that plain ol’ filet mignon will never attain.  Plus, it objectively tastes better. Because my taste is the true measure of good taste, obviously.

Pomegranate Braised Lamb Shanks

So here is my latest rendition of braised lamb shanks. I think I’ve made braised lamb shanks more than any other meat dish. In Ad Hoc, Thomas Keller expounds on the virtues of perfecting a recipe through repetition. If you make a dish over and over, you know the ins and outs of the ingredients and can actually tweek it rather than wholly categorizing the recipe as good or bad then moving on. I have to say, this is one of the first complex recipes I've ever developed by repetition. Diners always rave about it, even my ex-roomie who is generally a vegetarian will eat it. Though it takes 3 hours, it’s not a difficult dish to make. If you have a big pot and some time, you can do it.

3-4 large lamb shanks
2 stalks of celery
2 carrots
1 small onion
3 cloves of garlic confit (regular fresh garlic would be okay, but maybe just 2 cloves)
S & P
1 bay leaf
3 T flour
2 T olive oil
½ bottle of dry red wine
2 T Pomegranate Molasses
3 c chicken broth
1 small can of tomatoes (San Marzano, please)

Season and sear the shanks on all sides in a large heavy pot (like a le Creuset). It will take at least 5 minutes on each side on medium heat to appropriately brown each side. Meanwhile, clean all vegetables and cut into roughly 3” pieces (just to make it easier to blend). Process in a food processor with the flour until finely minced (almost to the point of baby food, but still confetti like).

 

Remove the shanks from the pot and sauté the processed flour and vegetables until lightly browned. Deglaze with the wine, add the stock, bay leaf, tomatoes, pomegranate molasses, and seared shanks. Season with salt and pepper (but not too too much because the sauce will reduce down). Bring to a simmer, cover, and stash in your oven at 225F for three (3!) hours, turning and basting it at least every hour.

At the end of the cook time, either remove the shanks from the pot if you dare (because they will crumble into a tender mass of meaty perfection at the slightest touch of your tongs) or take the lid off and simmer on the stove until the liquid has reduced by half. You may want to baste the shanks often to ensure maximum moistness.

Serve with only a fork and you will be very happy. Serve with baba ghanoush and fresh chickpeas doused in your finest olive oil, and you will be unnaturally happy – the kind of happy that usually only comes in pill form.

Recipe Grade: A
My Grade: A+ (my first!)
Diagnosis: Good for special occasions.