Braised Lamb Shank with Mushroom Risotto
Recipe from owner/executive chef Matt Richman
Table 926
926 Turquoise St., Ste. H, Pacific Beach
858-539-0926
Table 926’s menu is seasonally driven and reflects the food experiences of Matt Richman’s life, blending Californian ingredients with Mediterranean and Latino flavors.
Table 926’s executive chef/owner Matt Richman shares his recipe for lamb shanks, which are slowly simmered with fresh thyme, garlic and red wine, then served with a creamy mushroom risotto to soak up the dish’s wonderful sauce.
Braised Lamb Shank with Mushroom Risotto
Serves 4
4 lamb shanks
Sea salt, fresh ground black pepper to taste
Olive oil for searing
2 large onions, medium chop
3 carrots, medium chop
1 celery head, leaves removed, medium chop
8 cloves garlic
2 shallots, 1 medium chopped, 1 finely diced
1⁄2 bottle of drinkable red wine (your preference)
1 bay leaf
1⁄4 bunch parsley
5 sprigs thyme
4 quarts veal or beef stock
1⁄2 ounce dried mushrooms
1⁄2 cup white wine
1 cup Arborio rice
1⁄2 cup mascarpone cheese
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Season lamb shanks well with sea salt and pepper.
- Heat Dutch oven or braising pan on medium heat and sear off lamb shanks in olive oil on each side until a nice brown crust forms without burning, about 4-5 minutes on each side. Remove from pan.
- Remove 3⁄4 of fat from pan and return to heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic and shallots to pan and sauté until caramelized.
- Deglaze pan with red wine and add bay leaf, parsley and thyme. Simmer wine for 6-7 minutes before adding stock and shanks. Bring to boil and cover and place in oven for 3 to 4 hours or until meat is starting to fall of the bone.
- 45 minutes before serving, place dried mushrooms in 2-3 quarts of very hot water. Let steep for 20 minutes then remove from water, chop into small dice and reserve broth and mushrooms.
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, sweat diced shallots for 2-3 minutes, no browning. Add rice for 2-3 minutes. Deglaze pan with white wine and let simmer for 2-3 minutes, until almost dry. While stirring rice, add a couple ladles of mushroom broth into rice mixture. Being sure to stir constantly, ladle more stock when the rice mixture is almost dry, and not sticking to pan.
- Continue this process for 12-15 minutes or until the rice is desired texture. Then add chopped mushrooms, mascarpone cheese and season with salt and pepper. You can add mushroom stock to risotto until you get desired texture.
- Remove shanks from oven. Take the shanks out of the Dutch oven and reduce the sauce until desired thickness. Spoon risotto onto plate, place a shank on top and ladle shank sauce on top. Feel free to garnish with chopped fresh herbs or even a little finely zested lemon.
