I love to scope out the best deals on everything. I will wait until something is marked way down before I buy it. If it is gone then I guess it was not meant to be.
Markdowns of food is a wonderful way to save money and also try out things you wouldn't normally pay full price for. Quite often meat and bread are marked down long before their best before date.
Yesterday I stumbled upon lamb shanks for half price at the grocery store. I quickly scooped up the last two packages and headed home excited about the prospect of making something new that I haven't made before.
After consulting a few cookbooks and the internet I discovered that pretty much the sky is the limit when preparing these. You can go with an spicy ethnic flair or keep it simple. I chose the latter for my first attempt. This dish pairs well with cous cous, rice or potatoes.
A simple mix herbs and butter rubbed on the shanks followed by 2 hours of simmering in a white wine broth resulted in a meal so succulent my family was darn near licking the plates!
Who says you cant eat well on a shoestring?
Basque Style Braised Lamb Shanks
- 4 lamb shanks
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 tsp each rosemary and thyme
- ~olive oil
- 1/2 diced red onion
- 1 head of garlic peeled and separated
- 8 carrots peeled cut into diagonal pieces
- handful of cut chives
- 1 can of tomato paste
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- 1/2 bottle of white wine
- salt and pepper
Soften the butter and mix with the rosemary and thyme.
Rub all over the lamb shanks and set aside. You can also insert some between the bone and the meat if you wish.
In an oven proof dutch oven heat the olive oil and cook the onions until soft.
Add the lamb shanks and brown on all sides.
Add the carrots and chives and toss to mix.
Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a low boil.
Cover and place in oven and cook for 2 to 21/2 hours until meat is tender.
Remove the cover for the last half hour of cooking to reduce liquid and allow to caramelize.
Wine Suggestion: Beaujolais or White Burgundy
Cheers!
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