Aromatic Lamb Shank with Lentils

Monday 16 January

We first had this recipe when we were on fellowship in Australia, living in Sydney Women's College (Holt was in seventh heaven).  It's hard to find new ways to cook lamb for people who are as used to it as Aussies, but the girls in the dining hall were lapping this up, as were we.  We complimented the chef, and he revealed that the recipe was by Nigella Lawson.  

So give a little pout like a domestic goddess, and line up these ingredients:

vegetable oil

2 lamb shanks

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 onion, minced (it and garlic can be whizzed up in the processor with a pinch of salt)

salt

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Black pepper

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons Marsala

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

1 cup red lentils (Nigella said 2 tablespoons, but that's ridiculous with the amount of liquid, and gives you no extra vegetable)

Proceed to put some oil into a dutch oven and brown the lamb shanks over medium heat; set aside. 

Add a dribble more oil and fry the onion and garlic until soft, sprinkling in a pinch or two of salt.  Stir in turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, red pepper, and nutmeg, and season with some freshly ground pepper.

Stir in the honey, Marsala, and soy sauce, scraping the spoon to get all the honey out.  Put the shanks back in, add cold water almost to cover, bring to boil, then put the lid on, lower the heat and simmer gently for 1-1½ hours or until the meat is tender.

Add your cup of lentils and simmer, covered, until soft and plump and pretty, like Nigella.  That may take from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the age of the lentils - Nigella is, of course, ageless.  Add salt to taste, and let bubble uncovered until the sauce is as thick as you like. 

Not only is this luscious, but it makes the house smell terrific.