The Shank

Not that kind of shank. And sorry it's a bit blurry. It's a lamb shank braised in sauteed onion, merguez spices, lamb stock, canned tomato, thyme, carrot, parsnip, salt, pepper, a little vinegar, and some orange zest. The shank was first browned, and then everything was combined and covered and put in a 325 oven for an hour and a half. After the hour and a half it went for about 2 more hours at 225 when I had to run some errands. By the time I got back the shank was super tender and all pulled away from the bone. The braising liquid was very nicely cooked down with just a bit of fat in the pan.

I had wanted to make a lamb curry with yogurt with the braised shank, but after trying the braising liquid on its own, which was really nice, I was really hesitant to mix in yogurt, which could have broken in the sauce and looked gross or just not have tasted so good. But unable to leave well enough alone, I took half of the cooked down braising liquid that had cooled and mixed it with about two parts yogurt. I added the lamb to that mix and set it on a super low to just stay warm while I worked on finishing the lentils.

The lentils are French green lentils, and were cooked in lamb stock with a little onion and carrot. I had soaked them for 2 hours in water prior to cooking. When the lentils were about cooked through I added in the remainder of the braising liquid, which they quickly absorbed.

It all came together pretty well. The only thing I would have liked to have added was some fresh chopped cilantro. No big deal. Not quite a curry, but good nonetheless.