2 tbsp olive oil
4 lamb shanks, about 12 oz ea.
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 medium carrots, finely diced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 tbsp finely minced garlic
1 1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
1 lemon, cut in half
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Directions
PREHEAT OVEN TO 325F. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy
roasting pan or Dutch oven large enough to hold the shanks in 1 layer
on the stove. Add the shanks and cook 10 minutes on each side. Pour
off all but 2 tablespoons fat; add the onion, carrot and celery and
cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic, wine, water, lemon, salt and pepper.
Cover and place in the oven. Cook 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Turn
the lamb every 30 minutes and check to ensure that the liquid has not
evaporated. If the pan is dry, add another cup of water. When lamb is
tender, remove the shanks from the sauce, strain the sauce through a
fine sieve and discard the vegetables. Skim and discard fat from the
surface of the braising liquid. To serve, arrange the shanks on a
platter and serve the braising liquid on the side.
Servings: 4 servings
Braised Lamb Shanks Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Dutch Oven; Lamb; Meat
The History of Recipes
It is possible to track the history of `recipes` far back into the far past, certainly as far back into recorded history as ancient Egypt, and potentially, even further back. However, sadly, these early records were just basic pictorial instructions for meal preparation.
In fact, the oldest recipe discovered so far, according to experts in ancient history is a collection of stone tablets in the Sumerian language describing the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel blissful. Later on, in The time of the roman empire 25BC a roman called Apicius created a few scripts detailing recipes enjoyed by wealthy Romans. In his scrolls, he describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were split into starters, main course and afters, a very modern way of dining. This early Roman chef recounts how the early Romans used many different spices, including a few you will know such as bay, fennel and parsley. Later, we find a couple of recipe books which date from the fourteenth century - a book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another named `Curye on Inglish`. Surprisingly, they are not about the spicy food that we all know today, but rather accounts of the types of meals prepared for the upper classes. Later, in the fifteenth century, people returning from the crusades brought us a variety of spices and herbs from Arab cuisine, including spices like coriander, basil and rosemary. These new herbs and spices was responsible for a torrent in manuscripts on cookery, most of which are now in private libraries. By the time we get to the 1900s, cookbooks were highly popular mostly due to higher levels of literacy, people having increased spare time and a general increase in wealth. |
We hope you enjoy this Braised Lamb Shanks recipe.
