There is no doubt lamb is a delicious meat. It is however very fatty; sorry, it’s a fact (lamb shanks in particular). If you are careful you can remove quite a lot of the fat in one of two ways. Either by skimming the surface after cooking or if you leave it overnight to solidify, it can be lifted off the surface in morning.
Cooking meat with the bones is thought to increase the mineral content of the dish. Serving the lamb with fresh raw chard and the other fresh ingredients (such as in the cous cous) can substantially increases the nutritional value of the overall meal. We wouldn’t recommend eating this recipe more than once a month from a health perspective; there are definitely healthier cuts of lamb too. So the message is, enjoy this recipe but don’t eat more than very occasionally. If you have heart or weight issues, then choose a lean flesh such as chicken or fish.
Make sure you use a very large casserole dish or pot so that you have plenty of room for the meat, veg and liquid.
The best way to cook this is slowly so the meat falls off the bones. Delish!
- Prep time: 30 minutes approx.
- Cook Time: 3 ½ – 4 hours
- Oven: temperature 140°C/325°F/Gas mark 3
Ingredients for 4 – 6
- 4 lamb shanks – 1 per adult
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 1 – 2 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
- 2 Large Sprigs of fresh Mint (around 10 gm)
- 4 red or white onions
- 5 – 6 cloves garlic peeled
- 2 – 3 litres of bouillon or veg stock (enough to generously cover all the ingredients)
- 200 gm mixed fresh berries such as; Raspberries, Blackberries, Blackcurrants or Strawberries
- Cornflour to thicken. (The white variety requires less to thicken than the wholemeal yellow corn kind)
- Serve with 100 gm(per person) fresh young raw rainbow chard , finely shredded
Method
- In a large heavy oven proof pan (with a lid), brown the lamb shanks in a little oil. Remove the lamb and add the onions. Soften these for a few minutes
- Put the lamb, herbs and garlic in the pan and with the bouillon, generously cover all the ingredients.
- Bring to the boil briefly. Then turn off, add the fruit, put on the lid and pop in the oven for at least 3 ½ hours.
- When cooked, check that the meat falls off the bones, which should be removed and discarded. Apart from being easier to eat does this also allows sensible portions to be served.
- If you are eating it immediately skim off the fat.
- Make up and add the cornflour to thicken.
- However if you eating the next day, when the casserole has cooled, put in the fridge. Next day remove the fat before thickening with cornflour; Season further if necessary.
- Lay the raw rainbow chard on the plate and serve the lamb on top with Fruit Cous cous
