Guest recipe by Emberz executive chef Simon Henry
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 x Blue Sky Butchery lamb hind shanks
5mls canola oil
Salt and pepper
12 pickling onions, peeled (leave the root end intact)
2 carrots, cut into thick batons or sticks
2 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t rosemary, finely chopped
Juice and zest strips of 1 orange
1 t ground cumin
½ t ground ginger
½ t ground cinnamon
¼ c balsamic vinegar
2 t brown sugar
½ c red wine
1 c beef stock
400g tin of diced tomatoes
1 bunch mint, chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Season the lamb hind shanks with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof casserole dish or large frying pan and seal the shanks, browning and caramelizing on all sides. Transfer shanks to a plate.
3. Add the onions, carrots and the bay leaves to the pan, season with salt and pepper and cook on medium heat for five minutes. Stir in the crushed garlic, rosemary, orange zest and juice, spices, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar. Cook for a further 3 minutes, then add the red wine and beef stock. Return the lamb hind shanks to the pan along with any meat juice and stir everything together. Pour over the tomatoes and bring to boil.
4. Cover the lamb dish with baking paper then cover tightly with a lid or tin foil. Braise for 2 ½ hours until the lamb hind shanks are tender. Uncover and cook for a further 30 minutes to reduce the sauce. When the sauce is reduced, tilt the pan to one side and using a spoon skin off any excess oil from the surface of the sauce.
5. Place the shanks and vegetables on a serving platter and pour over the sauce. Sprinkle with mint and serve with beans and creamy mash potato.