INGREDIENTS:
Shanks with Red Wine & Anchovies
80ml extra virgin olive oil
2 med brown onions sliced thinly
½ cup dates
2 tbs anchovy fillets finely chopped
500ml red wine
½ cup plain flour
6 frenched lamb shanks
410g can diced tomatoes
1½ cups chicken stock
sprig of rosemary
“ANCHOVIES JUST MELT AWAY TO PROVIDE A TASTY AND UNIQUE BACKGROUND FLAVOUR TO THE LAMB”
Heat half the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until soft and just golden. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for a further 4 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by one third.
Meanwhile place the flour in a large bowl or shopping bag. Season with salt and pepper, then add the lamb and toss to coat. Heat the remaining oil in a large non stick pot or flameproof casserole dish. This will be the final cooking pot, so ensure it has a lid. Add lamb shanks three at a time and brown while turning for 5 minutes. Remove and repeat with the balance of the lamb.
Return all the lamb to the dish. Add the onion mixture, diced tomato, anchovies, dates, stock and rosemary. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer on very low heat. Cook for approximately 2 hours, or until lamb is very tender. Discard the rosemary, and let everything cool in the pot. Using a metal spoon remove the excess fat from the surface, season with salt and pepper.
When ready to eat, put the pot back onto a low-medium heat covered for 20 minutes or until heated through.
Serve with creamy mashed potato and roasted zucchini and tomatoes (see below).
Serves six, or four with a couple of shanks left for seconds.
ROASTED ZUCCHINI & TOMATOES
HEAT OVEN TO 180 DEGREES. ROAST SOME WHOLE CLOVES OF GARLIC FOR AROUND 15 MINUTES UNTIL JUST GETTING SOFT. ADD ROUGHLY CHOPPED ZUCCHINI, AND CONTINUE TO COOK FOR A FURTHER 10 MINUTES. THEN PUT IN WHOLE CHERRY TOMATOES FOR THE LAST 15 MINUTES OF COOKING.
SPRINKLE A SMALL AMOUNT OF PIZZA CHEESE OVER THESE IN A BAKING TRAY, AND POP UNDER THE GRILLER JUST BEFORE SERVING TO BROWN THE CHEESE AND WARM THROUGH.
Not too bad, and it's a fairly lesiurely cook.