Keen to try your hand at a warm wholesome dish, made with love, in the comfort of your own home? Why not try this delightful recipe that you can easily prepare with family or friends?
“Lamb shank is just perfect for those colder winter days where you can put it on the stove, forget about it and come back after a couple of hours to a melt in your mouth meal for the whole family or group of friends,” said Wesli Charles Jacobs, executive sous chef at The Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town.
“It’s a warm flavourful dish which pairs beautifully with barley risotto and butternut.”
Jacobs, who is obsessed with food and everything about it, believes his love affair with food began as a young boy, helping his mom in the kitchen.
Lamb shank with barley risotto and butternut
Difficulty: 5/10
Serves: 4
Hands on Time: 30 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients
300g x 4 portions lamb shank
1 garlic clove whole
1 bottle of red wine
200ml chicken stock
2 x bay leaves
100g celery
100g carrots
100g leeks
100g pearl barley
80ml white wine
10g thyme
80g butter unsalted
2 x onions peeled
1 x clove garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
200g butternut
5g micro pea shoots
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- To begin, season lamb shanks with salt and pepper. Add oil to pan on high heat to your cast iron casserole dish, large enough to snugly fit all of the lamb shanks.
- Fry the lamb shank in batches, being careful to not let them colour too much. Add one onion, celery, leeks, carrots and bay leaf once the lamb shanks have been removed from the pot. Cook for five minutes then add red wine and chicken stock on medium heat for three minutes.
- Place all of the browned lamb shanks in the casserole dish and cover with foil the entire casserole dish. Add dish into the oven and cook for two hours or till falling slightly off the bone.
- Add water to a pot and fill with pearl barley. Allow to cook for 30 minutes or till soft.
- In a separate saucepan add butter and sautéed onions. Once onions are translucent add thyme and soft barley. Add white wine and allow to cook for five minutes. Add fresh cream, Parmesan and season to taste.
- Cut butternut into 4cm x 4cm cubes and blanch till soft. Add butter to saucepan and sautéed butternut with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once lamb shanks are done, plate shank bone side up with barley risotto next to shank and butternut on top of risotto.
- Garnish plate with micro shoots.
