Lamb Shank Pies with Speck and Red Wine

Lamb Shank Pies with Speck and Red Wine. Image by Richard Cornish.

For generations, the lamb shank was the grandmother’s secret. Cheap, sweet and filling a lamb shank stew could feed a big country family when spooned over piping hot mashed spuds. The secret’s out, but we still reckon that shanks offer great value as they are rich, have great flavour and go a long way. Here’s a special winter dish, perfect for a Sunday lunch. We love making this dish with the local sweet carrots grown in our region’s rich volcanic soil and serving it with a bowl of piping hot mashed potato.

Serves 4

Ingredients

60 ml olive oil
100 g smoked bacon or speck, diced
6 lamb shanks
4 medium carrots, diced
4 celery sticks, diced
2 large onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
250ml red wine
500 ml beef or lamb stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
small bunch thyme, several sprigs rosemary, 2 bay leaves tied as bouquet garnis
50g butter
40 g plain flour
puff pastry to cover
egg wash

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon. Cook for a few minutes to stirring occasionally. Add the shanks, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes either side to brown the outside. Add the carrots, celery and onions and cook for 10 minutes to soften. Add the garlic. Season with a few pinches of salt. Deglaze with wine. Add the stock and add with enough water to cover well.  Bring to the boil then reduce heat, add nutmeg and bouquet garnis.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours or until shanks are soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the shanks from the pot. Remove the meat from two shanks, chop into morsels and return to the pot.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Thicken the contents of the pot by making a roux by melting the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, add the flour and mix well. Cook for a few minutes to cook the flour. Return the pot in which the shanks were cooked to the stove over medium heat, add the roux and mix through stirring continuously for 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Check seasoning.  Pour into a deep pie dish. Place the shank upright evenly spaced apart. Make four x marks in the pastry with a knife and slide the pastry over the shanks. Trim the pastry and pinch it around the pie dish. Brush with egg wash, place them onto a tray and bake for 40 minutes until the pastry is golden. Serve hot.

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Servings: 4

Author: Richard Cornish

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Lamb Shank Pies With Speck And Red Wine

Prep time: Cook time: Total time:

For generations, the lamb shank was the grandmother’s secret. Cheap, sweet and filling a lamb shank strew could feed a big country family when spooned over piping hot mashed spuds. The secret’s out, but we still reckon that shanks offer great value as they are rich, have great flavour and go a long way. Here’s a special winter dish, perfect for a Sunday lunch. We love making this dish with the local sweet carrots grown in the rich volcanic soil and serving it with a bowl of piping hot mashed potato.

Ingredients:

• 60 ml olive oil
• 100 g smoked bacon or speck, diced
• 6 lamb shanks
• 4 medium carrots, diced
• 4 celery sticks, diced
• 2 large onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 250 ml red wine
• 500 ml beef or lamb stock
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• Small bunch thyme, several sprigs rosemary, 2 bay leaves tied as bouquet garnis
• 50 g butter
• 40 g plain flour
• puff pastry to cover
• egg wash

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon. Cook for a few minutes to stirring occasionally. Add the shanks, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes either side to brown the outside. Add the carrots, celery and onions and cook for 10 minutes to soften. Add the garlic. Season with a few pinches of salt. Deglaze with wine. Add the stock and add with enough water to cover well. Bring to the boil then reduce heat, add nutmeg and bouquet garnis. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours or until shanks are soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the shanks from the pot. Remove the meat from two shanks, chop into morsels and return to the pot.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
3. Thicken the contents of the pot by making a roux by melting the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, add the flour and mix well. Cook for a few minutes to cook the flour. Return the pot in which the shanks were cooked to the stove over medium heat, add the roux and mix through stirring continuously for 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Check seasoning. Pour into a deep pie dish. Place the shank upright evenly spaced apart. Make four x marks in the pastry with a knife and slide the pastry over the shanks. Trim the pastry and pinch it around the pie dish. Brush with egg wash, place them onto a tray and bake for 40 minutes until the pastry is golden. Serve hot.

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