Braised Lamb Shanks in Red Wine

To me, there is something particularly satisfying in serving individual sections of an animal to guests. While a Cornish hen tastes remarkably similar to slices of regular Sunday chicken- placing half of a bird on your plate really sends the message that this meal is special and decadent. And also that you are a true carnivore at heart. So while a leg of lamb is an elegant dinner party choice- serving each of your guests their own lamb shank sure has its appeal. Lamb shanks also have the benefit of being much cheaper.

In this recipe, my favourite Italian chef marinades the lamb shanks overnight and braises them low and slow in red wine. The same wine is then reduced and used as an au jus for serving. The recipe is very ‘hands off’ and a great option for your next dinner party.

This recipe can easily be adjusted depending on the number of people you have for dinner. Plan on serving one lamb shank per person. If using 6 lamb shanks, keep all of the ingredients the same. If using 8, double the marinade ingredients, and add enough broth so that the liquid comes up about 1/3 way up the lamb shanks.

The sauce does take a while to reduce, so be patient. I served this with chopped parsley and pistachios for aesthetic colour contrast.

Braised Lamb Shanks in Red Wine

Fabio Viviani, Fabio’s Italian Kitchen

Serves 4

For the Marinade:
1/4 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
5 sprigs thume
1 bay leaf
4 whole cloves

For the Meat:
4 lamb shanks
2 cups beef or chicken stock
1 cup red wine
1 Tbsp butter

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a sealable bag with the lamb shanks and refrigerate for at least a few hours and preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 300F

Place the lamb shanks and all the herbs from the marinade in a roasting pan. Pour the stock and wine over them. Cover the pan first with parchment paper, then with aluminum foil over the paper. Cook for about 2 hours and remove the parchment and aluminum foil. Continue cooking for another 1/2 hour to 1 hour, or until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork.

Transfer the lamb shanks to a serving platter and discard the solids from the sauce. Transfer the sauce to a saucepan, bring to a simmer, skim the fat from the top and reduce by half. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. Serve over the lamb shanks.