Lamb Shanks & Polenta
I made lamb shanks on my day off for Liana, myself and my buddy Don today! EEEEEE. Just so we’re on the same geographical page (skip to the next paragraph if you *luvy wuvy* your petting zoo animals), the shank of an animal is the area below the knee and above the foot. The protein is tough and lean and should be cooked low and slo’ to break down fibers to make the meat oh so succulent. Braising FTW!
I used the same braising techniques and guidelines as I did with the beef shanks I made last year, but I added 2 tbs of tomato paste ’cause the color really wasn’t there 1/2 in the cooking process (it also adds another layer of rich flavor). If you’d like the step by step recipe, let me know. I’d be glad to help!
I served the shanks with some polenta (can I say corn grits without anyone screaming at me?) that I cooked in a 4 to 1 water to grain ratio. I added 1/2 cup of Romano cheese, stirred it together and plated it right away. I then placed the shank on top with a little extra sauce and topped it with a gremolata garnish - finely minced garlic, parsley and lemon zest - to cut through the heavy flavors from the dish.
I wish I made more! I’m going to take the leftover braising sauce and probably pair it with some pasta (or some polenta quickly cut and fried into shapes) and quickly sauteed shiitake mushrooms… can’t let it go to waste! MMmMmMMm!
YAY Shanks! 
~Spec
May 14th, 2008 at 9:03 am
hey man
I love good hearty braised food such as shank and Coq au Vin, but damn it man we’re almost in summer. Where’s the grilled items with the freshness of the land showing through. Fresh corn, toms, beans right now are especially good, favas, haricort verts and so on and so forth. Still I do love the brasie. I’d weight like 5 bills if I ate brasies all the time
May 14th, 2008 at 9:58 am
DTRB: I’m bouty bouty! I finally have the weekend off, so we’ll be hitting up the farmers’ markets soon. Wolly pigs what what.
~H
May 14th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
HMMM! whipped cream like fat… pan seared with sauce robert and warm german potato salad with some fresh haricot verts. O face!
June 10th, 2008 at 10:29 am
[...] in May, I froze the leftover polenta that I made with the lamb last month in a baking tray and then cut them into little cakes, some rectangular and some in triangles. All I [...]