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| Braised lamb shank and meatball pappardelle. |
In the beginning there were lamb shanks. I meant to buy four, but there were only two out at the supermarket, and when I brazenly walked back into the cold room where employees were cutting and packaging meats, the guy misunderstood me and cut four more shanks for me. So I had six.
I don't know about your slow cooker, but mine barely holds six lamb shanks. I really should have taken a picture of how full that sucker was, but I didn't. Probably because I was being anxious about how they would turn out rather than remembering my blogging responsibilities.
I cobbled together the recipe for these braised lamb shanks from various internet sources, plus the knowledge of what ingredients I had on hand. They turned out beautifully, and even my sometimes very picky three and a half year old kid pronounced them the best thing ever. Direct quote.
And then we had a lot of lamb meat leftover. We ate it here and there, in sandwiches, by itself, whatever, for about a week before I decided that we'd better finish it off in a blaze of glory before it devolved into refrigerator mystery meat.
I had a vision: something like a lamb ragu, but with big chunks of silky lamb. There would definitely be tomatoes. And it had to be tossed with fresh pasta.
I so didn't make the fresh pasta. I bought it from Talluto's, a Philadelphia institution that I am lucky enough to live quite close to, where they make amazing fresh pasta all day long, and sell it at very reasonable prices. There have been moments in my life when I've made fresh pasta, but this is not that kind of moment (day, month, year...).
Then I made it up as I went along. I diced some garlic and minced onions and sliced carrots, and I sauteed those in olive oil. I added a small can of diced tomatoes, minus the juice, and the leftover lamb, shredded. Undoubtedly there was salt and pepper.
I was poking in the fridge while this delectable mess simmered and melded when I noticed a container with tomato sauce and a couple of meatballs in it, leftovers from another meal. I mentioned these to Nick, pointing out that one or the other of us should have them for lunch soon, so they wouldn't be wasted. He suggested throwing them in with the lamb.
Which was, of course, absolute genius. Just a bit more tomato flavor, plus additional chunks of meat--meat with a different texture!
What can I say? You can't make this. I probably can't make it again, either. But it was freaking delicious, and it made me very, very happy.
Okay, if you want to do the braised lamb shanks, here's the recipe. I highly recommend throwing the leftovers over some fresh pasta. That is all.
Slow Cooker Braised Lamb Shanks
6 lamb shanks (about 5 lbs total)
salt and pepper
3 T olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 large carrots, cut 1/4 inch thick
10 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
1 T tomato paste
3 T fresh rosemary, chopped
10 sprigs fresh thyme
2 strips lemon peel, about 2 inches each
1 bottle red wine (or equivalent quantity of wine and either beef or chicken stock, combined)
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1. Heat 2 T olive oil in 12-inch pan. Season shanks with salt and pepper and sear on all sides (this will take 2-3 batches, depending on the size of your shanks).
2. While shanks sear, put remaining 1 T olive oil plus onions, carrots, garlic, tomato paste, rosemary, thyme, and lemon peel in a bowl, cover, and microwave for five minutes.
3. Put seared shanks in slow cooker and add microwaved vegetables. Stir carefully, if your slow cooker is as full as mine was. Add tomatoes and wine (or wine and broth).
4. Cook on high for 6-8 hours, until meat is silky and literally falling off the bone.
If you're feeling particularly assiduous, you could probably discard the thyme sprigs and lemon peel and blend the braising liquid and veg into a pan sauce, but I didn't bother. Serve with noodles, mashed potatoes, or good bread, plus lots of red wine. Possibly also a vegetable: I leave that to your discretion.
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