This lamb shank fricassée is sure to delight anyone who enjoys lamb. The meat is fall off the bone tender and the flavors from the dill and greens are a nice change from the traditional lamb roasts and stews. While this specific recipe uses lamb shanks, the fricassée can also be prepared using chicken, pork, or beef, all of which I will share at a later date. As far as pairing is concerned, rice or couscous works well. In our family, we typically enjoy the meat and greens on their own with a slice or two of bread for sopping up the broth.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds lamb
- 1 large onion
- 1 pound Swiss chard or 2 heads romaine lettuce
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cups water
Preparation
- Peel and chop the onion
- Wash the chard or lettuce and set aside
- Brown the meat with the olive oil and onion on medium heat in a large sauté pan (approximately 10 minutes)
- Once the meat has browned, add the water (if 5 cups is not enough to cover the lamb, add more)
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes
- After 1 hour and 30 minutes, check the meat to make sure it has begun to separate from the bone. If needed, cook for an additional 15 to 30 minutes
- Once the meat has begun separating from the bone, add the salt, dill, and greens and simmer uncovered for an additional 30 minutes
- From this point onward, limit stirring as this will cause the greens to break apart
- Depending on the amount of water remaining in the pan, you may wish to raise the heat to medium-high during the last 10 minutes of cooking to evaporate some of the water and thicken the broth
