This recipe uses two lamb shanks to make a delicious dinner to feed a family of six. Any leftovers freeze well. The crunchy topping is optional but it adds a lot to the dish.
This is a one-pot dish which doesn’t really need any sides, but you could always serve some steamed green beans or broccoli.
1 brown onion, peeled, halved and sliced
1 bulb fennel, trimmed, halved and sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1x400g can chopped tomatoes, or whole ones and cut them up
¼ cup brown sugar
1½ cups water
1 beef stock cube
2 tsp chilli sauce or paste (optional)
2 bay leaves
2 lamb shanks
1 can baked beans in tomato sauce
2 or 3 sheets of fresh lasagne, torn into 3cm pieces
Topping:
1 slice bread
1 Tbs butter or oil
2 Tbs fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
50g Parmesan cheese, grated
Extra virgin olive oil to serve
Preheat oven to 160°C. Place onion, fennel, garlic, tomatoes, brown sugar, water, stock cube, chilli paste and bay leaves in a heavy casserole dish with a lid. Mix then arrange the lamb shanks on top. Cover and cook for 3 hours or until the meat is falling off the bones. Stir from time to time during cooking time.
Remove lamb from the casserole, cut off the meat and put it back. Remove and discard bay leaves. Stir in the baked beans and add a little water if it’s looking too dry.
Cook lasagne in boiling salted water for 4 minutes or until al dente. Drain and mix into the casserole. Can be made to this stage and reheated later at serving time.
For the topping, make breadcrumbs with the bread by blitzing it in a food processor. Fry in the oil or butter in a small frying pan, stirring, until crisp and golden. Cool then mix with the rosemary and parmesan.
Serve casserole topped with the crunchy bread mixture. Drizzle a little EVOO around each serving, if liked.
Serves 6
