Cook up these tasty dishes and celebrate the versatility of delicious lamb

Lamb shanks are an old favourite and slow-cooked until they are falling off the bone is a sheer delight.

Lamb is one of the tastiest and versatile meats around, and it features in many different cuisines benefiting from a variety of different ways of cooking.

Here we show you two ways to cook lamb shanks which are sure to be recipes you will return to again and again.

Mutti slow-cooked Moroccan lamb shanks

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 French-trimmed lamb shanks
• 1 large brown onion
• 1 red capsicum, seeded
• 1 medium carrot
• 1½ tbsp Middle Eastern spice mix
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp finely grated ginger
• 200g dried, pitted dates
• 1 tbsp honey
• 4 long strips lemon peel
• 400g can of Mutti ‘Polpa’ Chopped Tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Mutti Tomato Paste Double Concentrated
• 400g beef stock

Method

• Preheat oven to 160C/140CFan/310F/Gas Mark 2-3.
• Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish over a high heat.
• Add the lamb shanks and brown them, turning frequently.
• Remove lamb and pour off excess oil, then reduce the heat.
• Dice the onion, capsicum and carrot and add to the dish. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the spice mix, crushed garlic and ginger and cook for one minute, constantly stirring.
• Add the dates, honey, lemon peel, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and stock and stir to combine.
• Return the lamb shanks to the dish.
• Cover, and place in the oven for two hours.
• Serve with pearl couscous and steamed, green beans.

Mutti lamb shanks

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 4 lamb shanks
• 1 small onion
• 1 small carrot
• 1 small stalk of celery
• 100g extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cardamom pods, crushed
• 1 stalk of rosemary
• 2 small bay leaves
• 1 carob pod
• 250g red wine
• 200g port
• 3 tbsp Mutti Double Concentrate Tomato Paste
• 1½ cans tinned chickpeas, drained

Method

1. Finely dice the onion, carrot and celery and place in a large heavy-bottomed pan with the extra virgin olive oil.
2. Cook for 10 minutes on a low-medium heat, until the onions are translucent.
3. Add the lamb shanks and turn the heat up, browning them on all sides for about 5 minutes.
4. Stir through the crushed cardamom pods, carob pod (broken into several pieces), bay leaves and rosemary stalk.
5. Dissolve the tomato paste in a couple of tbsp of boiling water, then add it plus the wine and port, to the pan.
6. Stir then cover with a lid; reduce the heat and leave to simmer for about an hour.
7. After an hour, stir in the chickpeas, cover again then simmer for another 30 minutes and the lamb is fully cooked.
8. Season with salt to taste.
9. Serve the lamb shanks on a bed of soft yellow polenta or creamy mashed potato.

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