Once I Had A Little Lamb..

I'm one of those people that go to the market everyday. I just have to. I think I should have been born European, or something, because my day is not complete without a trip to the market.

The other day I came across the most beautiful lamb shanks in the Meat Dept. at my local grocery store. I don't know why more people don't eat lamb. It's very delicious. Nowadays, lamb is very delicate, it's not the strong overpowering and gamey lamb of yesteryear which was more mutton (meat from an older sheep) than lamb.

I decided I wanted to do the lamb shanks osso bucco style. Of course, it's not a traditional osso bucco which uses veal shanks. I also wanted to do a Parmesan Polenta to accompany the lamb. That being said, I live in the South, in BFE (as I have stated before), so I made Parmesan Stone Ground Grits, instead. This recipe is a hybrid of things that I love. I hope you will love it, too!

Lamb Shanks Osso Bucco Style

2 whole lamb shanks, approximately 1 pound each

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup olive oil

1 carrot, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 medium or 1/2 large yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 shallot, diced

1/3 cup tomato paste

2 cups red wine (preferrably Cabernet)

2 cups beef broth

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 sprig rosemary leaves, chopped

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Season the lamb shanks (I usually just season my flour) with salt and pepper. In a deep pot, heat olive oil until shimmery. When oil is hot, dredge lamb shanks in flour, and remove any excess. Brown lamb shanks on all sides. When shanks are brown, remove to a plate, and set aside for a bit.

Add mirepoix (carrots, celery, and onion), and shallot to hot oil. Saute for a few minutes until onions are translucent. Add garlic and tomato paste and saute a minute or two longer to "cook" the tomato paste. Add rosemary and parsley, wine, broth and lemon juice. Stir to combine.

Add lamb shanks back to pot, cover, and place in oven for 2 hours.

Parmesan Stone Ground Grits

2 cups milk or half and half

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup grits

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a pot, bring milk, butter and salt to the boiling point. Add grits. Stir constantly -- don't walk away! When grits have thickened, add parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

To Serve

Place Parmesan Grits on the plate. Top with a lamb shank and some of the "gravy" from the shanks.

You can make a gremolata by chopping the zest of 1 lemon, 2 garlic cloves and 1/2 cup of parsley together and garnish the shank, if you desire.