lamb shanks, done differently

I've been making a lot of lamb shanks lately. They're a relatively cheap cut of meat, and they lend themselves to a style of cooking that borders on neglect: put them in a roasting pan with braising liquid, pop into a slow oven, and walk away. Three hours later, dinner is pretty much done.

I had a long day of work today, and I knew I would, so I started on the shanks yesterday. In a manner similar to how I cook ribs, I seasoned them, wrapped them in foil, and popped them into a slow oven for a while last night. After a couple of hours or so I pulled them out and let them cool in the foil before refrigerating them.

I got home at about 6 this evening and started back to work on them. The fat rendered off the shanks had rendered off, and I was able to remove it easily. Better still, the lamb juices had gelatinized, so I was able to remove them from the shanks and pop them into a pan. Once they had re-liquified, I strained them and started gently reducing hem with red wine (a David Bruce Petite Sirah I also enjoyed with dinner) and a bit of black currant balsamic vinegar. The shanks, wrapped, went back into a low oven to reheat gently. I lightly caramelized some onions, fennel bulb, and garlic, and I cooked up some fava beans and peeled them.

All of this came together into a reasonable meal. Heck, I'll enjoy it tomorrow evening as well, though with fewer steps, just reheating.

As for dessert (there MUST ALWAYS be dessert): a plate of walnut pieces, Manchego cheese, dried apricots, and chocolate.

Indeed, I do treat myself well!