Italian lamb shanks with soft polenta
10 Australian lamb shanks, frenched
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
⅓ cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
3 sticks celery, diced
2 leeks, finely sliced
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 springs fresh thyme leaves
3 bay leaves, cracked
3 cups tomatoes, diced
8 cups chicken stock
1 cup red wine
Gremolata:
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
To Serve:
soft polenta
Trim Lamb shanks and clean bones. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat half the oil on high heat and brown lamb shanks well on all sides. Transfer to a large casserole dish.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and brown the vegetables well for 4-5 minutes. Stir in the herbs, tomatoes, chicken stock and red wine. Deglaze the pan and transfer cooked vegetables to the casserole dish.
Place the casserole dish over low heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours until the lamb is tender and the sauce has thickened.
To Serve: Spoon the soft polenta onto individual serving dishes. Top with Italian lamb shank and sauce. Garnish with gremolata.