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I dont know why, but Ive never cooked Lamb Shanks.  I do like lamb and have cooked it in different ways, but never lamb shanks.

I was invited to a cookery demonstration for the Wham Bam Thank You Lamb campaign being run by Scotch Lamb at the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School.  I was absolutely gutted to have to withdraw at the last minute as I was ill with bronchitis.   However, I am delighted to tell you that I am still able to take part,  as I was provided  with voucher to buy some lamb at a local butcher who was a member of the Scotch Butchers Club, in my case this was J.B Houston in Dumfries.

I had a lovely chat with the butcher who recommended that I cook these lamb shanks with some red wine, he definitely knew what he was talking about, as the flavours of the lamb and the gravy were superb.  My top tip when cooking lamb?  Ask your butcher!

Lamb Shanks in Red Wine

Most recipes suggest one lamb shank per person, but I managed to get 6 portions out of two lamb shanks, you do have to strip the meat off the bone but its worth it if you are trying to be thrifty. 

1 tbsp olive oil
2 lamb shanks
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
a sprig of rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp tomato puree
350ml red wine
200ml lamb stock

1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Heat the oil in a casserole dish or roasting tin and brown the lamb shanks.
3. Remove the lamb, turn the heat down a little and add the onion, carrot and garlic and cook for about 8 minutes until beginning to soften and brown slightly.
4. Add the rosemary and bay leaves and cook for another minute.
5. Add the flour and tomato puree, then pour in the wine and stock, stirring all the time to blend.
6. Put the lamb shanks back into the dish, cover and place in the oven for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until the lamb is tender.
7. Remove the lamb from the dish, let it cool slightly and then strip the meat from the bones.

8. Put the pan back on the heat and simmer to reduce the sauce, then sieve into a jug.
9. Serve with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.

This is a slow cooked  dish but if you are in a hurry,  there are loads of great quick cook recipes on the Wham Bam Thank you Lamb website some of them cook in 10 minutes!

Many thanks to Scotch Lamb for the opportunity to cook with such a premium product, I was notpaid for this post and all opinions are my own. 

If you want this to be a vegetarian stew, all you need to do is to skip the meat part.

lamb, diced. Use as much meat as you want 1/2 pound or 1 pound (you can also substitute lamb with beef or use half lamb + half beef)
1 big onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 carrot, chopped in rounds
1 eggplant (not a huge american one though), peeled in striped pattern and diced
1 zucchini, diced or cut in half rounds (or summer squash or both)
1 or 2 potatos, diced (depends on how much you like potato)
1/2 pound (or less) green beans
1 can of green peas (or frozen ones)
3-4 banana or any kind of peppers, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil (or butter)
1 tbsp pepper or tomato paste
1 can diced tomatos or dice 3 fresh tomatoes
salt & black pepper (or pepper corns)
crushed pepper

optional:
mushroom
dried mint
parsley or dill
dark beer

-Chop all the vegetables and pick the biggest pot you have
-Cook the lamb with a little bit oil on medium heat. Lamb/beef will relaease water. Cook until water is (almost) soaked
-Add the rest of the oil and pepper paste. Stir for an other 3-4 minutes.
-Make a layer of everything you chopped in this order: onion, garlic, pepper, mushroom, carrots, green beans, eggplant, zucchini, potato, and green peas.
-If you want to add beer or bourbon to your stew, now its a good time. Dark beers, such as Guiness, would go well with this stew. Depending on the size of your pot, you can pour a whole bottle or half. Be more moderate with bourbon.
-On top of everything pour tomatoes and add hot water. Water level should be 1/2 inch below the surface.
-Add salt & pepper, mint, parsley or/and what other spices you want.
-Bring to a boil and then turn it down to low. Place a flat plate (something that fits in the pot) to press the vegetables down.
-Cover and seal the top of the pot with aluminum foil good and tight, and put the lid on.
-Cook on very very low heat for at least 2, at most 3 hours. You dont need to stir or check on it during those long 3 hours.

PS: You dont have to use every single ingredient I listed except egglant; lamb and eggplant are great together. Use whatever you have in the fridge.