Braised Lamb Shanks With Dried Fruit Recipes

Steps:

• Season the meat with salt and pepper and put it in a pot that will fit it snugly and can later be covered. Add the spices and a 1/2 bottle of wine. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a slow bubble, and cover. Cook about an hour, then add onion, garlic, ginger and dried fruit, and check to make sure the liquid isn't evaporating too quickly; turn and continue to cook. Add the remaining red wine if the mixture looks dry, but essentially cook this without fuss.
• When the meat is very tender - after about 2 1/2 hours - uncover. Check and adjust the seasoning as necessary, garnish and serve.

Steps:

• Place the racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven, and heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Halve the squash lengthwise, then scoop out the seeds and discard them. Rub the flesh of the squash with 1 tablespoon oil and season with salt. Place 3 sprigs each of thyme and sage on a small baking sheet. Place the cut side of the squash directly on top of the herbs. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high. Add the quartered shallots cut-side down and cook until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side, adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid scorching. Season with salt and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
• Pat the lamb dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the pot over medium-high. Cook the lamb on both sides until browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Work in batches if necessary.
• Add the minced shallots and garlic to the pan, season with salt and stir to coat with the pan drippings. Add the whole peeled tomatoes and their juices, then add the stock or water and bring to a boil. Return the lamb shanks to the pot and add the remaining thyme and sage.
• Cover the pot with a lid or a piece of foil and move the pot to the bottom rack of the oven. Place the squash on the top rack. Bake the squash until the flesh is tender and a thin knife can be easily inserted, about 75 to 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover with foil. Continue to cook the lamb until the meat is tender enough to pull with a fork, about 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours total.
• Scoop out the squash with a spoon and place on a serving plate, then transfer the lamb to the plate and cover to keep warm. Remove the braised tomatoes from the lamb cooking liquid and discard along with any excess fat.
• Set the pot over medium heat and reduce the liquid to about 3/4 of its volume, about 5 minutes. Add the browned shallots and brandied fruit. Cook until shallots are tender and sauce is warmed through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the lamb and squash and garnish with mint leaves. Serve with steamed rice, couscous or thick slices of a crusty sourdough loaf.

Steps:

• Sprinkle shanks with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook shanks until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer shanks to plate.
• Add onions, carrots and garlic to pot and saute until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, tomatoes, chicken broth and beef broth. Season with rosemary and thyme. Return shanks to pot, pressing down to submerge. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 2 hours.
• Remove cover from pot. Simmer about 20 minutes longer. Transfer shanks to platter, place in a warm oven. Boil juices in pot until thickened, about 15 minutes. Spoon over shanks.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and cook, in batches if necessary, turning with tongs, until well browned, about 10 minutes each batch. Remove the lamb shanks with tongs to a plate and set aside.
• Stir the onions, carrots, rosemary, bay leaves, and garlic into the dutch oven and cook, stirring, until the onions are very soft, about 5 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups of the wine and deglaze the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
• Return the lamb shanks to the pot and braise the mixture, tightly covered, in the oven for 1 hour. Uncover and braise for 2 more hours, turning the shanks every 30 minutes. Stir in the turnips and the remaining 1/2 cup of the wine, and continue to braise, in the oven for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• While the lamb shanks are braising, make the gremolata: chop together the rosemary, orange zest, and garlic. Place each lamb shank on a serving plate, top with the vegetables, sprinkle with gremolata and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 250 degrees. In 7-quart flameproof casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat vegetable oil until hot but not smoking. Sprinkle salt and pepper generously over lamb shanks. Working in batches if necessary to keep them from touching during the initial searing, add shanks to pan (they should sizzle the moment they hit the pan). Cook lamb shanks until well browned on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes each side. Set browned lamb aside in a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the sumac, and stir to combine; set the mixture aside.
• Add onion to the casserole, and cook over medium heat until softened and golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Add reserved stock mixture, apricot nectar, cinnamon stick, cloves, allspice, parsley, cilantro, tarragon, mint, and paprika; stir to combine.
• Return the reserved browned lamb shanks to the casserole. Place over medium-high heat, and bring the liquid in the casserole to a boil. Cover the pan, and transfer the casserole to the oven. Cook the mixture until the meat is tender, about 2 hours. Check the casserole in the oven occasionally to ensure a gentle simmer of the sauce, adjusting the heat of the oven or the height of the oven rack as necessary. The actual cooking time will vary depending on the size of the lamb shanks you started with. The meat should be very tender but should not fall off the bone, yet. Add the dried apricots, prunes, and chopped red bell pepper to the casserole, and continue to cook in the oven until the fruit has softened, about 1/2 hour more.
• Remove the cooked lamb shanks, apricots, prunes, and bell pepper from the casserole, and place them in the bowl with the lamb. Cover them with aluminum foil to keep warm, and set aside.
• Place the casserole over medium heat, and simmer until the liquid is thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes. Return the reserved lamb shanks, apricots, prunes, and bell pepper to the casserole just long enough to heat them through again, and stir them lightly to coat them with the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Serve lamb shanks and sauce with couscous with mint and lemon.