Lamb Shanks With Olives

Braised Lamb Shanks  with Olives

adapted By Deborah from Mark Bittman’s  How to Cook Everything

I have tried this recipe numerous times and it always tastes amazing…

Serves four

Ingredients:

4 Lamb shanks about 1 lb each

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 cups onions sliced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2-3 sprigs fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup fresh chopped tomatoes

1 1/2 cups olives. …I use Bi Rite Market lemon cured olives (not pitted). Using really good olives is the make or breakpoint of this dish. If you use unpitted olives don’t forget to tell your friends before they eat.

½-2 cup homemade stock either chicken or lamb.  Using  homemade stock with this dish adds  so much flavor and gives me  kind of ineffable satisfaction.

Brown the shanks in the oven @500 degrees on a cookie sheet, turning until browned all over. This could take 35 minutes or so. Discard all but a tablespoon of the oil from the lamb.

In a large cast iron dutch-oven or a Le Creuset heat the oil ( over the stove) and cook the onions on medium about 10 minutes until golden, turning often.

Add the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper sauté a few short minutes

Add the tomatoes and the stock (I use more than the Bittman recipe which calls for ½ cup because I love the sauce when it’s finished)

Add the lamb shanks, turn them and coat them with the mixture, then cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Add the olives and cook at least another 1 hour, turning every so often until the meat will almost  fall off the bone.

This dish can be cooked a day or two ahead of time. It is knockout!!!!

Garnish with parsley or sprigs of thyme or some basil.