Shank You Very Much

Dinner last night was lamb shank -- something I hadn't tried before. At 2 quid for the pair, they are a fairly economically choice (beef, on the other hand, seems very expensive here.)

Rubbed the little niblets (these were tiny shanks) down with ground coriander and salt, browned them and then braised them with carrots, onions, fenugreek, and fresh cilantro. Served it up with some plain white rice, and lemon-flavored red lentils, topped with a bit of yogurt and basil. Lamb is much more prominent in the stores and restaurants here so I figured I better get on the mutton-bandwagon. The stronger flavor I expected from lamb wasn't there in these shanks. The meat was juicy and fall off the bone tender with just a couple hours simmering on the stove.


The lamb recipe came from "The Complete Meat Cookbook" by Bruce Aidells and Dennis Kelly. An informative book with lots of explanation of the different cuts from each animal, general guidelines for how to cook each cut, and lots of recipes. Recommended!