Lamb Shank Bourguignon

Anyone who has not become familiar with Boeuf Bourguignon or at least heard of it has probably been hiding under a rock for the last 40 years. Originally made famous in the U.S. by the legend, Julia Child, who learned to make it to perfection in France,  and more recently featured in the movie Julie and Julia, Boeuf Bourguignon is known the world over. What you may not have heard however, is that lessor known bourguignon, Lamb Shank Bourguignon, perhaps because I have just recently added it to my portfolio. This is a very simple yet delicious dish that marries the flavors of lamb and Burgundy wine every bit as proud as the original Boeuf Bourguignon, but with a lighter jus as opposed to a heavier sauce. If you are a lover of lamb, it would be worth your while to try this recipe. This dish is perfect served over a bed of steamed rice and mushroom caps. The list of ingredients is as follows:

Serves a party of 2

2 medium sized lamb shanks
20 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
8 to 10 white mushroom caps, stems removed
1 teaspoon of coarse ground pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of tomato paste
1 bouquet of thyme, basil, and rosemary
1 1/2 cup of Burgundy wine
1 1/2 cup of beef stock
2 tablespoons of finely chopped parsley

Preheat your oven to 400. In a dutch oven or deep pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Rub the lamb shanks with some of the salt and pepper and saute so that all sides are well seared, which will usually take about 8 minutes total. Add the garlic and saute for about a minute.

Once shanks are seared, pour the wine in and the rest of the herbs and spices. Allow wine to cook at medium low for a few minutes so alcohol is evaporated and then add the beef stock and stir. Continue to cook for about 6 to 8 more minutes. Cover and transfer pot to oven and reduce heat to 325. Bake for  90 minutes, then add the mushrooms, turn lamb shanks over and continue to bake for another 60 minutes.

Remove from oven and set the lamb shanks aside, cover  with foil to keep warm. Lamb shanks contain a lot of fat and therefore the sauce will most likely be fattier than some other sauces. If you can, skim a bit of the fat off the top layer of the sauce. One very easy way to skim the fat off the top is to cool the sauce in the refrigerator until fat solidifies, then just skim the fat off and return the pan to the stove top and reheat in which case you would also add back the lamb shanks to rewarm. Either way works ok.

Take the sauce and pour it through a stainer. Remove the mushrooms, set aside, and discard the rest of the solids in the sauce. Return sauce to the stove top and heat over low heat. Add the tomato paste and stir well. Next, add back the mushroom caps and taste sauce for proper seasoning.

Slice the meat of the lamb shanks into 1/4 inch thickness and plate a portion either directly on the plate or over a small bed of steamed rice. Pour some of the sauce over the meat and add a  few mushrooms around the sides and sprinkle with parsley. This can be served with steamed whole baby carrots. You will find the sauce light but wonderfully flavored with the aroma of the lamb, not to mention that you will have another hit on your hands!