Sweet Balsamic Lamb Shanks

 

Sweet Balsamic Lamb Shanks

This is a winter special worth saving in your 'too make' pile.  Or just do it tonight.  After eating this combination of flavours for the first time I have to say I was lusting after it again almost immediately.Winter is really here in Melbourne, Australia and we have had our first frigid week.  My husband and kids may well be just a leeeetle sick of hearty soups right now so I wanted to make something a little richer of flavour and hearty of taste.  I believe - having self-tested and studied - that I function or thrive more optimally including meat in my diet every now and again and also eating hot or warm foods, especially in winter.   I also eat the fat of the meat in slow-cooked dishes as I feel my body really feels more clear, powerful and alert when I do so.A lot of slow-cooked or shank dishes I have made are tomato based and I need to add a lot of ingredients to get a depth of flavour.  These ones ace it even with minimal ingredients and I would give them five stars if they were served to me in a super-fancy restaurant.  When paired with some steamed greens and mashed sweet potato, you've got a hefty dose  vitamins A C, and K, has a good amount of calcium.  Cooking the shanks in the liquid that is then poured over the meal means you have also included all of the benefits of bone broth into your meal.  Within an hour of these shanks cooling, the liquid had turned to 'jelly'.  This is all of the gut healing, skin-shiny-making gelatine within the bones of the meat that has cooked out in the process.  I fed this to my baby as it was and when I made a buckwheat pizza base the night after, I added leftover lamb and broth to the pizza with leftover onions and mushrooms.Although this is a 'slow-cooked' meat dish.  I actually did this in a large saucepan with a lid over the lowest temperature on my stove and it was falling off the bone within two hours.

Sah Delicious.

Here goes.

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Ingredients

• 4 large lamb shanks (or 6 smaller lamb shanks)
• sea-salt and pepper
• coconut oil (around 2 tablespoons)
• 2 large red onions sliced into segments like an orange
• a handful of button mushrooms sliced in half
• 1 carrot sliced thickly
• 2 stalks of fresh rosemary or 3tbls dried rosemary
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 150 ml balsamic vinegar
• 300 ml red wine (I used some that my husband didn't finish and would have been past drinkable.  In it goes!)
• 2 tbls honey

Method

1. In a large saucepan, add your olive oil and heat over a medium-high heat until hot.  Add your lamb shanks and allow to sit until they are browned on one side. Turn and do the same for all side.  You may need to do this in two batches. Remove from the saucepan.
2. Add your onions and garlic and turn the heat down low add more coconut oil if you need to.  Stir until the onions and garlic become transparent.
3. Add the shanks back into the pan, mushrooms, balsamic vinegar, red wine, carrot, and rosemary, pop the lid on, keep the heat as low as possible and cook for 2 hours minimum.
4. Drizzle with honey and toss through before serving with mashed sweet potato and a side of greens.

What do you like to throw in your slow-cooker or on the stove in winter?  Let me know in the comments below and forward this recipe to a freidn if you think they would love it.Big Love, Always,