BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH APRICOT CURRY SAUCE

By nancytripp

Dinner for Eight, Denise Landis

Ingredients

• red, green, or yellow peppers:
• 1 1/2 cups small diced dried apricots
• 3 tsp hot curry powder
• 1 c. rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 8 lamb shanks, 12-16 oz each, bones cracked
• 1/3 cup grapeseed, canola, or other unflavored oil
• 4 carrots, peeled, but in 1 1/2 inch chunks
• 4 stalks celery, cut in 1 1/2 inch chunks
• 2 Spanish onions, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• cored, seeded, and diced
• 16 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, and more for garnish
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

In blender, combine apricots, curry powder, vinegar, mustard, and 2 c. water. Puree until smooth, about 3 minutes. Place lamb shanks in a glass or other non-reactive dish and add the apricot sauce. Turn to coat the lamb well. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning the meat occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place a large, deep, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons oil. Remove the lamb from the marinade, reserving the liquid. Working in batches, brown the lamb, turning it often to prevent burning. Transfer to a platter. Add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the carrots, celery, onions, bell peppers, and garlic. Saute over medium heat until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large roasting pan.

Place the lamb shanks on the vegetables and add the thyme sprig, bay leaves, peppercorns, and all but 1 cup marinade. Add water to come up almost to the top of the pan. Lay a sheet of parchment paper over the pan and carefully transfer to the oven. Braise until the meat is so tender it almost falls off the bone, 5-6 hours. Remove the pan from the oven. Transfer the meat to a platter and allow to cool; then cover and refrigerate overnight. Strain the cooking liquid, discarding the solids. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the lamb in a roasting pan, brush with the remaining marinade, and return to the oven to crisp. Place the cooking liquid in a sauté pan and cook over high heat, reducing it by four-fifths. To serve, place the lamb on plates and spoon some cooking liquid around and over. Garnish each plate with a sprig of thyme.