Lamskenkels — Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

Ingredients

• 4 lamb shanks / 4 lamskenkels
• 2 tablespoons oil / 2 eetlepels olie
• 1 large onion, chopped / 1 groot ui, gekap
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed / 4 knoffelhuisies, fyngedruk
• 2 carrots, sliced / 2 wortels, in dik skywe gesny
• 2 celery stalks, chopped / 2 selderystele, gekap
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste / 2 eetlepels tamatiepasta
• 1 can (400 g) chopped tomatoes / 1 blik (400 g) gekapte tamatie
• 2 cups beef or lamb stock / 2 koppies bees- of lamsaftreksel
• 1/2 cup red wine (optional) / 1/2 koppie rooiwyn (opsioneel)
• 2 bay leaves / 2 lourierblare
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried) / 3 takkies vars roosmaryn
• 1 tsp dried thyme / 1 t. gedroogde tiemie
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste / Sout en vars gemaalde swartpeper na smaak

Method

1. 1

   Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. / Verhit olie in 'n grootkastrol oor medium-hoe hitte.

2. 2

   Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper. Brown in the pot until well browned on all sides. Remove and set aside. / Geur lamskenkels met sout en peper. Braai tot bruin aan alle kante. Haal uit en sit eenkant.

3. 3

   Saute onion, garlic, carrots and celery in the same pot until soft. / Soteer ui, knoffel, wortels en seldery in dieselfde kastrol tot sag.

4. 4

   Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. / Voeg tamatiepasta by en roer vir 1 minuut.

5. 5

   Add chopped tomatoes, stock, red wine (if using), bay leaves, rosemary and thyme. Stir well. / Voeg tamatie, aftreksel, rooiwyn, lourier, roosmaryn en tiemie by. Roer goed.

6. 6

   Return lamb shanks to the pot. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover and cook for 2 1/2 – 3 hours until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. / Plaas lamskenkels terug in die sous. Verlaag hitte, sit deksel op en prut vir 2 1/2 – 3 ure.

7. 7

   Remove bay leaves and rosemary sprigs. Taste and adjust seasoning. / Verwyder lourierblare en roosmaryn takkies. Proe en verstel geurmiddels.

8. 8

   Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or fresh bread. Tip: make it the day before – the flavour is even better! / Bedien met aartappelpuree, rys of vars brood. Wenk: maak die dag vantevore – die geur is nog beter!