Celebrate Spring with Australian lamb dish

#Middlebury #KitchenDiva #Lamb

Come spring, I love cooking and serving Australian grass-fed lamb, especially the shank portions for dinner. I fell in love with braised lamb shanks years ago at the now-closed Kate Mantilini’s restaurant in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Lamb shanks can be served in many ways – as the main meat course with the braising sauce over a starch, picked off the bone and used as a filling for Greek-style gyros, mixed with barbeque sauce and placed on a toasted bun, combined with salsa and served in a taco shell, or used in casseroles, stews and soups.

The shank is the cut of lamb taken from the lower section of the animal’s legs and can be from the front legs (fore shank) or the back legs (hind shank). The fore shank may include part of the shoulder, as well as part of the leg, while the hind shank will include only part of the rear leg. For detailed information about various cuts of Australian lamb go to www.trueaussiebeefandlamb.

Lamb shanks have a paper-thin membrane covering that should be removed. They also have a thin layer of fat, but are leaner than the sirloin part of a lamb. Once the shank has been properly prepared, seasoned and braised in the oven or simmered for eight hours in a slow-cooker, it practically melts off the bone!

You can make this delicious recipe ahead of time and warm up the shanks right before serving. I’ve also included a recipe for Lemon and Baby Spinach Fettuccini, which is the perfect spring side dish. The warm pasta and tender spinach soak up the flavorful braising liquid, and the lemon complements the shanks beautifully. Serve with a loaf of crusty garlic bread, and you’ll welcome spring with gusto!

Lamb shanks in gravy (Depositphotos.com photo)

Braised Lamb Shanks

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 lamb shanks (about 14 ounces each), trimmed
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper, divided
1 yellow onion, quartered
1 large carrot, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 cup grape juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves or nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Heat oven to 300 F.
2. Heat oil in a large roasting pan over medium-high heat. Season lamb with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Brown lamb in hot oil, 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Remove from pan. Add onion, carrot and garlic cloves. Cook until slightly softened, 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Add vinegar, grape juice and Worcestershire sauce; cook 2 minutes, stirring and scraping bottom of pan. Stir in tomatoes, cloves, sugar and broth; cook 2 minutes. Return lamb to pan; bring to a boil. Place parchment paper directly on lamb; cover pan tightly with aluminum foil.
4. Bake in oven for 3 1/2 hours. Remove foil, and bake until the meat falls off the bone or when a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 200 F, about 30 more minutes, turning halfway through.
5. Transfer lamb to a platter; cover loosely with the foil. Strain cooking liquid into a medium saucepan; discard solids. Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook over medium-high until reduced to about 3 cups, about 5 to 7 minutes. Spoon 1 cup sauce over lamb, and serve with remaining braising sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
6. Serve over Lemon and Baby Spinach Fettuccini (see recipe below), rice, polenta or mashed potatoes.

Lemon And Baby Spinach Fettuccini

Heavily salt the boiling water when making the pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy liquid to create a sauce.

Fettuccini pasta, cooked, hot 3 quarts cooked (1-1/2 pounds dry)
3 quarts fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup warm pasta cooking liquid
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1. In a bowl, toss together hot fettuccini, spinach, oil, lemon juice and lemon zest, salt, and black and red pepper until mixed. Add the cooking liquid, a few tablespoons at a time, as needed to loosen mixture. Sprinkle with half of the Parmesan cheese.
2. Divide the Lemon-Spinach Fettuccini among 4 rimmed plates. Top with the lamb shank, the braising liquid and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and parsley, if desired. Serves 4.

Angela Shelf Medearis is an award-winning children’s author, culinary historian and the author of seven cookbooks. Her new cookbook is “The Kitchen Diva’s Diabetic Cookbook.” Her website is www.divapro.com. To see how-to videos, recipes and much, much more, Like Angela Shelf Medearis, The Kitchen Diva! on Facebook. Recipes may not be reprinted without permission from Angela Shelf Medearis.

(c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc. and Angela Shelf Medearis