Braised lamb shanks, or kuzu incik as we call them in Turkey

I separate party dishes into two main categories.  Those that require minimal serving and preparation when the guests arrive and those that will be sure to keep you away from the table in the kitchen.  I like both for different reasons.

Today I'd like to share a recipe for braised lamb shanks.  They fall in the first category, which means you'll have plenty of time to shower before your guests arrive and you will actually be able to enjoy the dinner along with your guests at the dinner table and not in front of the stove.

Lamb shanks are very famous in Turkey and around the world.  Regardless of how you season them or combine them with other goodies, the whole trick lies in cooking the shanks very slowly over as many hours as you can.  I add some wine also, as most European recipes do, which helps break the muscle tissue and soften the mean even more.  A real Turkish delight is what you get at the end.

As a side dish, I made a caramelized onion and fresh herbs couscous dish.  I chose this as I wanted something light, with taste, but not too much, and something fresh to balance the lamb.  It worked much better than I expected and I highly recommend it.

I cooked 6 shanks for almost 5 hours.  I initially browned them (two at a time) in a small amount of oil in a large pan.

After removing the shanks, I added 1 chopped onion (in large pieces).  You can even quarter the onions.  Then I added 2 sliced carrots (adds a little sweetness).  I then added 2 chopped tomatoes and cooked them together for about 5 minutes.  Then 1 added a cup tomato sauce and a cup of chicken broth and let it simmer for about another five minutes.  Last but not least, I added almost 2/3 bottle of a cabernet.

Once everything was ready, I combined them in a big earthen baking dish, covered it with aluminum foil and baked it for 4-5 hours, occasionally turning the shanks (every half hour or so) at a very low heat - 125 C.   During the last half hour, I uncovered them to let the juice thicken.     

The couscous was much easier.  I basically boiled the couscous and set it aside.  Then I sliced two large onions very thinly and caramelized them over very low heat in a non-non-stick pan with just 1 table spoon of olive oil.  The trick to caramelizing is to interfere with the onions as little as possible.  I just stirred them maybe 4 times during a course of 20 minutes.

Then I chopped half a bunch of parsley, mint and scallions.  I mixed all of them into the couscous together with the caramelized onions.  Spiced it up with some red pepper flakes, some ground white pepper and salt and it was ready.

I served everything in 5 minutes and then enjoyed the evening and this amazing food with wonderful friends.