Lamb Shanks with Pomegranate and Pistachios
Ingredients
Scale
- Your portion of lamb shanks
- Plenty of salt and black pepper
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 TBS neutral oil such as avocado oil or canola oil
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1–2 stalks of celery (if you have some around), chopped
- 1/2 an onion, chopped
- 4–6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup red wine
- a few sprigs fresh thyme and rosemary (if you have some around)
- 1 quart beef stock, chicken stock, or vegetable stock
- 1 pomegranate, seeded, divided
- 1 cup pistachios, shelled, toasted, and coarsely chopped
- Your portion of rutabagas, peeled and quartered
Instructions
- 1. Heat a heavy braising pot on the stove. This can be a Dutch oven, or any heavy pot with a lid. This recipe is also great for a slow cooker or Insta-Pot, but you will still need to heat a heavy pan to sear the lamb. While the pot is heating, put the lamb shanks on a plate and season them on all sides with plenty of salt and black pepper. Dump the flour on top and roll the lamb shanks around to completely coat them with the flour. Add the oil to the hot pot, then add the lamb shanks and sear on high heat until they are well browned all over. It should take about 8-10 minutes total.
- 2. Remove the lamb shanks back to the plate (or at this point you could add them to the Insta-Pot or slow cooker). To the pot, add the carrot, celery (optional), and onion, and stir and cook on medium until they barely start to brown. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the red wine and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Add the herb sprigs, beef stock, and seared lamb shanks and lower the heat to a bare simmer. Now put about half your pomegranate seeds in a strainer and hold it over the lamb pot. With the back of a spoon, press on the seeds to extract as much juice as you can straight into the pot with the lamb. (Save the other pomegranate seeds for garnish.)
- 3. Cover the lamb tightly with a heavy lid and braise on low heat for 2 hours or until very tender but not falling off the bone. Add the rutabagas and cook on low heat, uncovered, for another 15 minutes or until the rutabagas are tender and the gravy has thickened. Adjust the salt and pepper, spoon the lamb shanks, rutabagas, and gravy onto plates, and top with fresh pomegranate seeds and toasted pistachios.
Notes
- Not included in the box: Salt, black pepper, all purpose flour, avocado oil, celery, red wine, fresh thyme and rosemary
- Chef Tip: I like to pick up pomegranate molasses at the local Persian market and drizzle this over the lamb shanks once they’re on the plate. A few drops of thick balsamic vinegar would also be great.