Lamb Shanks with Commandaria Wine
In 2021, just a few days before Easter in Nicosia, the meat master, Chef Andreas Charalambous, was a guest on the state television cooking show, preparing an amazing recipe: Lamb Shanks with wine, mustard, and honey. A few days later, on Easter Sunday, Andreas's recipe inspired me to experiment and create my own version: Lamb Shanks baked in Commandaria wine. They turn out incredibly tender (like Turkish delight). The meat falls right off the bone and melts in your mouth. If you are hosting a celebration at home, this is the recipe I wholeheartedly recommend.
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INGREDIENTS
- 4 Lamb shanks with the bone (2 kg total)
- 1 kg small potatoes
- ½ cup (115ml) olive oil
- 5 - 6 small (300g) whole peeled onions
- 3 - 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 well-filled spoon (35g) tomato paste
- 1 ½ cups (375ml) dry red wine
- ½ cup (125ml) Commandaria wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 - 5 sprigs of thyme
- 2 - 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 1 vegetable or beef stock cube
- 1 ½ cups (375ml) water
- 1 teaspoon (8g) salt
- ½ teaspoon (1g) freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
- Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper. Pour the oil into a large pot and sauté the shanks until nicely browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. With a knife, score the small potatoes in 2 places and add them to the pot. Sauté for 5 - 6 minutes.
- Add the onions and continue sautéing for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the whole garlic cloves and sauté for another 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and stir it on the bottom of the pot so it sautés and releases its aromas.
- Pour in the red wine and Commandaria wine, and let the alcohol evaporate, about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the contents of the pot to a baking dish and add the bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, the remaining salt and pepper, and the water in which you dissolve the stock cube.
- Cover the baking dish with its lid or with non-stick parchment paper and aluminum foil, and bake for 2 hours in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) on fan mode.
- Remove the cover from the baking dish and continue baking for another 30 minutes until the food is nicely browned.
