Recipe#12109

Title: Lamb Shanks

From: Lyndon Watson L.Watson@csc.canterbury.ac.nz (Lyndon Watson) 
 Newsgroups: rec.food.cooking 
 Date: 11 Dec 96 09:28:01 +1200 
 Message-ID: <1996Dec11.092801@cantva> 

Ingredients:
 1 lamb shank per person            Potatoes as desired
 1 medium onion per person          Carrots or other root vegetables as
 1 tsp curry powder per person         desired
 1 tsp salt per person              Water to cover.
 Dash of cooking oil                
 Heat the oil very hot in a large pot and quickly brown the shank(s).
 Reduce heat, cut the onion(s) into slices and cook with the meat until
 just done.  Add the curry powder and salt and cook for a minute or so,
 stirring continuously.  Cover with water and simmer gently (*not* a
 vigorous boil) until the meat is cooked.
 (If the shanks are genuine lamb, they should take less than an hour to
 cook.  But if your butcher has sold you mutton shanks, they could take
 three to four hours!  A shank is not cooked until the meat is falling
 off the bone.)
 Lift the shank(s) out of the water and strip the meat off the bone(s).
 Add the vegetables to the pot and return the meat.  Add more hot water
 if required to cover the vegetables.  Increase heat and boil until the
 vegetables are done and the water/gravy has reduced to thicken slightly.
 Alternatives:
 Use red wine and thyme, added with the vegetables, instead of curry
 powder.
 Use a chilli mixture (say ancho or colorado with tomatoes and chipotles
 for a bit of bite) instead of curry powder.
 (I use Vencat's curry powder because it is richly tasty rather than hot,
 and it's easier than mixing my own!)