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Lamb Shanks in Red Wine With Prunes

5.0(79)

Earthy. Plummy. Balanced with acidity.These were my descriptions of the South African cabernet sauvignon wines we tasted. They reminded me of just how good cabernet can be when the winemaker does not aim for a skyscraper when 10 stories will do. I wanted to enjoy the wines with lamb, and hearty shanks braised with fruit and spice did the trick. The acid balance in many of the wines gracefully tamed the richness of the sauce. You should figure one shank a person, so try to buy smallish ones, about a pound each. And serve the dish with couscous.

by Florence Fabricant

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Dinner, One Pot, Main Course

Servings

4 servings

Total time

2h 15m

Calories / serving

1091 kcal

Ingredients (15)

serves

1 cup pitted prunes
1 cup dry red winered-wine
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oilextra-virgin-olive-oil
4 lamb shanks, about 1 pound each, fat well trimmedlamb-shank
1 cup finely chopped oniononion
8 cloves garlic, mincedgarlic
1 red bell pepper, cored and sliveredbell-pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumincumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprikasmoked-paprika
Saltsalt
freshly ground black pepperpepper
4 sprigs thymethyme
2 teaspoons grated orange zestorange
Cayenne to tastecayenne
Cooked couscous for serving

Instructions (2 steps)

01Place prunes in a bowl, add wine and set aside. Heat oil in a 6-quart casserole or sauté pan. Add lamb and brown on all sides over medium heat. Remove. Stir in onion and garlic. Sauté on low until soft. Stir in bell pepper, cumin and paprika. Sauté a few minutes. Return lamb to pan, season with salt and pepper. Add thyme, prunes and wine. Cover and simmer 1 hour.
02

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Rich recipe — supports nutrition-aware planning.