Lamb shanks in paper with Greek flavours
There’s a new way to cook lamb shanks; trussed up in paper. The idea is the baking paper packaging traps all the juices and steam inside, keeping the shanks super-succulent and tasty as they cook. We don’t think you could possibly over-cook these as there is no way they can possibly dry out, which is handy as you can’t actually check exactly when they’re ready. Short of unwrapping them. Which you don’t want to do, in case they’re not. The 2½ hours baking time worked perfectly for us, but if your shanks had to do another 30 minutes or so in the oven, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
Honestly, we were bowled over by how great these were and we may never braise a shank again. That meat tastes so sweet and lamby and somehow concentrated, and for relatively little effort too. It doesn’t matter how neat and fancy your wrapping ends up being (ours was neither neat or fancy); what’s important is that the shanks are fully enclosed so nothing haemorrhages out as they bake. If you have to double or triple-wrap and use a ton of paper in the process – doesn’t matter. Ours looked like sarcophagi.
We reckon you could play with the flavours and we have our sights on a sweetish Asian combo next; we’re thinking hoisin sauce, ginger, garlic, a dash of soy, Chinese black vinegar and Shaoxing wine. Or a spoon of doubanjiang instead of the hoisin, to skew things Sichuan-ish. Or, you could just put a piece of fresh rosemary, some garlic, a slice of lemon and a little chicken stock or white wine into each parcel, if you prefer classic simplicity. If you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to brown your shanks, you’re on your own in uncharted territory. No doubt the lamb will still taste good but remember the Maillard Reaction? You’ll get none of that without the browning. Serve these with your favourite potato dish (mashed, roasted or gratin) and whatever leaves or steamed greens you like.
SERVES 4
2½ tbsp olive or canola oil
4 large lamb shanks
200ml tomato puree
3 tbsp tomato paste
2½ tbsp red wine vinegar
2½ tbsp runny honey
16-20 pitted kalamata or whole dried black olives
2 tbsp drained capers
1 cinnamon stick, broken into 4 pieces
4 sprigs oregano, plus extra, for serving
baking paper and kitchen string, for wrapping
Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the shanks, season with salt and pepper, then cook for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally, or until browned all over. Remove the shanks from the pan.
Meanwhile, combine the tomato puree, tomato paste, vinegar and honey in a bowl and whisk to combine well.
Tear off a piece of baking paper that’s large enough to enclose one lamb shank several times. Place the shank in the middle of the paper – you may need to place it in on the diagonal to maximise coverage. Pour over a quarter of the tomato mixture, taking care it doesn’t spill over the edge of the paper. Scatter over 4-5 olives, some capers, a piece of cinnamon and a few oregano leaves, then season with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Fold the sides over the shank and the liquid, then roll up into a parcel, tucking in the ends as you go. Use a couple of pieces of kitchen string to tie the parcel securely at each end, then place in a roasting dish. Repeat with the remaining shanks, tomato mixture, and other ingredients, then bake for 2½ hours.
Serve the shanks in their paper with scissors to cut the parcels open; empty the meat and liquid out onto plates, discarding the paper and string. Scatter with oregano leaves.
