Ingredients
- 4 tbsp of olive oil
- 8 lamb shanks
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 1 heaped tbsp of dark brown soft sugar
- 4 tbsp of red wine vinegar
- 110 g of raisins
- 1 litre of chicken stock
- 200 ml of light ale
- 400 g of chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp of rosemary leaves, roughly chopped, plus a few sprigs to garnish
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 pinch of salt, to season
- 1 pinch of ground black pepper, to season
- 6 medium red onions, peeled, halved and sliced
Method
Step 1
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a moderately high heat, add the lamb shanks and fry in batches for 8-10 minutes, turning so all sides are browned. Transfer to a large saucepan.Step 2
Add the onions and garlic to the residual fat in the pan and gently cook over a lowish heat for about 15 minutes or until softened, stirring often. Add the sugar, vinegar, raisins and some salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes, then add to the pan of meat.Step 3
Add the stock, ale, tomatoes, rosemary, bay leaves and a generous amount of seasoning to the meat, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover with a lid and gently cook for 3 hours, poking the lamb shanks down to ensure they are covered with all the liquid.Step 4
Using a slotted spoon, lift the lamb out onto a plate and keep warm under foil. Boil the liquid down to reduce to about 2 litres, making a slightly thickened sauce, for about 25-30 minutes, skimming off any fat and discarding the bay leaves.Step 5
Add the lamb back into the pan to reheat for about 5 minutes then arrange on a warm serving plate, spoon over the sauce, scatter with the rosemary to garnish and serve.