Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks with Orange & Cinnamon

Over the last couple of weeks I have tried a handful of new recipes. Some of them were ok, nothing to rave about just average meals. Others were horrible throw the recipe in the bin sort of meals. But I found this recipe in Better Homes & Gardens (June 2013) and just had to share it because it was simply amazing.

Ingredients:

• 4 French trimmed lamb shanks
• Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 4 stick celery, finely sliced
• Rind of ½ orange, peeled into strips
• 4 eschalots, peeled, halved
• 8 cloves garlic, smashed in their skins
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 small red chilli, halved
• 1 sweet potato, peeled
• 1 bunch baby carrots, scrubbed
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1L chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160C. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large heavy based flameproof ovenproof saucepan over a high heat. Add lamb and cook, turning, until browned on all sides. Transfer lamb to a bowl and set aside.
2. Reduce heat to medium, then add celery, orange rind, eschalot, garlic, thyme, cumin, cinnamon sticks and chilli to pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until celery and eschalot are golden and have softened slightly.
3. Cut sweet potato into large chunks, then add to pan with carrot and tomato paste.
4. Return lamb to pan, then add stock and simmer for 2 minutes. Cover pan with lid, then transfer to oven and bake for 2 ½ hours.
5. Serve lamb shanks sprinkled with parsley.

Let me know if you try it and what you thought.