Lamb shanks braised with tomatoes and basil and aubergine caponata
A whole lamb shank is slowly braised in a wonderfully delicate tomato sauce until meltingly tender and falling apart, ready to be served alongside an aubergine and basil caponata with plenty of pine nuts in this recipe from Paul Foster. It may take a good few hours to cook, but it's a low-effort recipe that packs a serious punch.
Paul says: 'In this recipe, the braising liquor absorbs all the deliciousness from the lamb while cooking. I use Mutti’s peeled whole tomatoes in this braising liquor because even after the long cooking times they still retain a firm and fleshy texture and can stand up to the bold flavours of the meat. The addition of Mutti's double concentrated tomato purée is an important one, as it adds an extra hit of boldness and intensity.'
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 2 tbsp of sunflower oil
- 2 lamb shanks
- 200g of lamb stock, or red wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs of rosemary
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 1 tbsp of tomato purée
- 800g of tinned plum tomatoes
- 20g of balsamic vinegar
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Caponata
- 2 large aubergines, diced into 2cm cubes
- 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 sticks of celery, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 20g of toasted pine nuts
- 20g of capers
- 75g of black olives, sliced
- 1/2 bunch of basil leaves
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 30ml of white wine vinegar
Method
Preheat an oven to 130ºC/gas mark ½. Add the sunflower oil to a hot pan and brown the shanks all over. Once browned, remove from the pan and place in an ovenproof dish. Add the lamb stock or red wine to the pan to deglaze and bring to the boil, then pour over the lamb shanks
- 2 tbsp of sunflower oil
- 2 lamb shanks
- 200g of lamb stock, or red wine
Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and balsamic vinegar, cover with a lid (or foil) and place in the oven. Cook for 3-4 hours, until a knife easily goes all the way through the lamb and the meat pulls away from the bone. Leave to rest with the lid on for 20 minutes before serving
- 800g of tinned plum tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp of tomato purée
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 4 sprigs of rosemary
- 20g of balsamic vinegar
While the shanks cook, make the caponata. Place the diced aubergine into a bowl with a good pinch of salt and leave for around 20–30 minutes. Drain then squeeze out any excess liquid
- 2 large aubergines, diced into 2cm cubes
Add the olive oil to a pan and place over a medium heat. Add the aubergine and cook for about 5 minutes until golden and caramelised. Then add the onion, garlic and celery to the pan and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until soft
- 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 sticks of celery, finely sliced
Add the white wine vinegar and the sugar and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until the liquid has been fully absorbed. Turn down the heat and add the olives, capers and toasted pine nuts
- 30ml of white wine vinegar
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 75g of black olives, sliced
- 20g of capers
- 20g of toasted pine nuts
Stir well to warm through and then finish with a spoonful of the shank cooking liquor. Set aside until the shanks have finished cooking
To serve, remove the shanks from the dish. Lightly crush the tomatoes with the back of a fork and season the sauce with sea salt and black pepper. Divide between 2 plates along with the caponata then top with the lamb shank. Garnish with basil leaves
- 1/2 bunch of basil leaves
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