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Braised Lamb Shanks w/ Caramelized Onion

Source of Recipe

Bon Appetit, January 1996


Recipe Introduction

I found this on epicurious.com and it is fantastic. One of the best dishes that I have ever made. The lamb turns out moist and succulent. The sauce is rich and dark. I cooked it almost twice as long as the original recipe called for. I also added a little bit of garlic (of course). You will notice in the recipe that after simmering you can refrigerate overnight and then reheat the next day. You should certainly do this as you will then be able to remove the fat that will rise to the surface and solidify). Simply reheat the next day.

Recipe Link: www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/1197

List of Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound onions, sliced
5 large shallots, sliced (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
6 3/4- to 1-pound lamb shanks
all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 1/2 cups canned beef broth
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 bay leaves





Recipe

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sliced onions and shallots and sauté until brown, about 20 minutes [I added 3 cloves of minced garlic here]. Mix in 2 tablespoons chopped rosemary. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle lamb shanks with salt and pepper; coat lamb with flour. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Working in batches, add lamb shanks to skillet and cook until brown on both sides, about 10 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer lamb shanks to plate. Add 1 cup dry red wine to same skillet and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Pour into Dutch oven with onion mixture. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups red wine, canned beef broth, tomato paste and 2 bay leaves to dutch oven. Bring to boil, stirring until tomato paste dissolves. Add lamb shanks, turning to coat with liquid.

Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lamb is almost tender, turning lamb shanks occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours . (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

[I reheated the next day and simmered an additional 1 1/2 hours.] Uncover Dutch oven and boil until liquid is reduced to sauce consistency, stirring and turning lamb shanks occasionally, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 6.