Lamb Shanks with Rosemary and Spices

With the weather fluctuating between -3 to 9 degrees, I want nothing more than a nice cozy bowl of stew or soup for comfort.

This lamb shanks stew is exactly the sort of comfort food my body’s craving. I used a can of good ol’ Budweiser for this but you can go ahead and use your favorite tap. My lamb shanks were season with rosemary, turmeric and cooked in mirepoix. Mirepoix is basically a base flavoring for soups and stocks used commonly in French cooking. It’s made from three basic vegetable and they are onions, carrots and celery; the holy trinity in the French kitchen. These vegetables are then sauteed or boiled together to give a basic flavor base.

Quite frankly, I didn’t know they called these three vegetables mirepoix till a few years back because my mom have always used these three vegetables in her soups and stews.

I bought frozen new zealand lamb shanks for this recipe.

Lamb shanks with rosemary and spices
500grams of lamb shanks
5 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoon of chopped rosemary
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 can of Budweiser
2 cup of mirepoix, equal amounts of carrots, celery and onion, cut in equal sizes (it can be as small or as big)
1 zucchini, cut into 1inch chunks
1 potato, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 tablespoon olive oil
1tbsp of butter
salt and pepper

Method:
1. Season your lamb shank pieces with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet or a pan with a 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once the pan and oil is hot, sear your lamb shank pieces until they are brown. This will help seal in the juices and create extra flavor in your stew. Set them aside.
2. In a medium size pot, add remaining 1tbsp of olive oil, 1tbsp butter and garlic. Turn heat up to medium high and saute the garlic for a few seconds before adding in your mirepoix mixture and potatoes. Continue sauteing until the vegetables softens and the onions become transparent. This will take approximately 8 minutes.
3. Add the seared lamb shank pieces and zucchini. Now, open your can of beer and pour the entire can in. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and a generous sprinkle of pepper. Stir the pot and let it come to a simmer.

4. Once the stew comes into a simmer, lower the heat to low and let it cook for 1 hour before serving it with a nice crusty bread.

5. Eat in front of the TV with a loved one and two cats.

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