Lamb Shanks and chick peas

It is still chilly in Canberra and this evening's meal of lamb shanks was welcome after a hard afternoon at the golf course. The lamb shanks had echoes of a French Cassoulet but was a unique dish. The lamb shanks were cooked in the oven with water, fresh thyme and rosemary for a couple of hours. The herbs were removed. The juice was poured off and cooled so that the fat could be removed then the juice returned to the lamb shanks.

The dish was then cooked with a can of chick peas (which were washed and drained). A few minutes before serving coriander leaves, raw garlic, spring onions and a few fresh chillies were added to the dish. I am told a lemon zest would improve the outcome but we had no lemons.

Leftover cooked potatoes were added in long enough for them to be warmed through.

Lamb shanks is one of those meat cuts that has gone from being one of the cheapest cuts to one of the more expensive. People are realising that meat that is closest to the bone is often the sweetest.