Lamskenkels met lensies| lamb shanks with lentils

[Emmie L]

I have been meaning to post this recipe for a long time and I keep forgetting, but I stumbled across it now when I wanted to reprint a fresh copy of one of my other recipes.

The meat is not enough in the original recipe. I usually just add at least one piece of meat per person or alternatively as many as will cover the surface area of the casserole I'm making it in. I like to make in my squarish/ ovalish corningware with the see through lid (the later white stripy kind, not the earlier blue flower kind) and laugh about space ships while I put it together in honour of my friend from whom I got the recipe. It came from one of those strange magazinelike thin cookbooks that Woolworths used to sell many many moons ago.

[In 1953 S. Donald Stookey of the Corning Research and Development Division accidentally discovered Pyroceram, a white glass-ceramic material capable of withstanding a thermal shock of up to 450 K (840 °F). He was working with photosensitive glass and placed a piece in a furnace, planning on heating it to 600 degrees Fahrenheit. When he checked on his sample, the furnace was at 900 degrees and the glass had turned milky white. He reached into the furnace with tongs to discard the sample, and it slipped and hit the floor without shattering. Pyroceram was originally used in the ballistic missile program as a heat-resistant material for nose cones. Pyroceram was used to protect space shuttles form extreme temperature changes. ... now you know why everyone has a pyrex dish but no lids anymore. Borosilicate glass doesn't bounce quite like pyroceram can. ]

I think this is very suitable for camping because it's a one pot dish. You assemble all the ingredients in layers and as it cooks it imbues the flavour from layer to layer. It's pretty foolproof. The only thing you can effectively do wrong is cook the lentils until they are mush. It will still be edible, just not as nice obviously. It's not strongly flavoured so if you are part of the 30% that are non-tasters you will definitely want to zhoosh it up. Medium tasters, give it a go first and see if you enjoy the more subtle version.

I often substitute the meat out and have made it with everything from lamb chops to ribs to whatever was at hand. It's one of my favourite winter meals.

[Emmie L]

Lamb shanks with lentils


1 Cup 250g Red lentils
½ Teaspoon Salt
1 Onion Diced
2 Celery sticks Diced
1 Green Capsicum Diced
2 Cloves Garlic Finely chopped
4 Small Lamb shanks
2 Cans 800g Crushed tomatoes
3 Bay leaves
3 Teaspoons Fresh marjoram Chopped
3 Teaspoons Thyme Chopped


1. Preheat the oven to moderate 180°C/ 350°F/ Gas 4.
2. Spread the lentils in the base of a large ovenproof casserole dish and sprinkle with salt.
3. Add the celery, capsicum, garlic and onion.
4. Layer the lamb shanks over the top.
5. Then pour over the tomatoes.
6. Add the salt, bay leaves, marjoram and thyme.
7. Cover the dish (with foil if you don’t have a lid) and bake for 2 hours.
8. Skim off any fat which may have formed on the surface. (I don't remember usually doing this, even though it's in the original recipe.)
9. Remove the bay leaves and stir together the lentils, meat and vegetables before serving.

Note
- Red lentils are smaller and softer than green or brown lentils and so do not need to be soaked before cooking.
- Make sure the oven is not hotter than 180°C as it will dry out the ingredients and turn the lentils to mush. Err on slightly under rather than slightly over.

Variation
Lamb shanks are a very economical cut of meat – use chump chops if shanks are not available.

[Estee]

Do you have to Emmie. I am trying to get my weight down to pre-Christmas level

[Emmie L]

Do you have to Emmie. I am trying to get my weight down to pre-Christmas level

This is very healthy Sean. I can eat it even on the most restricted version of my diet and not have any negative effects. I don't think it will affect your weight in the negative direction. I usually only make it after the season has turned in the direction of winter though. But I put off posting it again the gold fish memory might forget it exists.

[Hedgehog]

This will do nicely, thanks Emmie!

[Kalahari Leo]

Thanks Emmie,

I tried your recipe as it sounded delicious.

I threw everything in the slow cooker and ran it for 6 hours at the low settings.

After I removed the bones, I stirred everything and then added "penne pasta".

The dish was delicious and very tasty.

I am however of the opinion that the tomato flavor was somewhat overwhelming, so will add less tomato next time and probably more garlic.

I have to admit I had to google some of the ingredients - never new a green pepper's fancy name was a Capsicum. Also never had, knowingly, eaten marjoram.

Anyhow thanks for the recipe, it is/was a winner.

[KobusDJ]

Wat betaal julle nou vir Lam Skenkels daar in Gauteng ?

[4ePajero]

Wat betaal julle nou vir Lam Skenkels daar in Gauteng ?

Te veel!

R125 - R170 /kg (en 50% is been)

[KobusDJ]

Te veel!

R125 - R170 /kg (en 50% is been)

Dit is wat ons betaal in BWP

[Emmie L]

Thanks Emmie,

I tried your recipe as it sounded delicious.

I threw everything in the slow cooker and ran it for 6 hours at the low settings.

After I removed the bones, I stirred everything and then added "penne pasta".

The dish was delicious and very tasty.

I am however of the opinion that the tomato flavor was somewhat overwhelming, so will add less tomato next time and probably more garlic.

I have to admit I had to google some of the ingredients - never new a green pepper's fancy name was a Capsicum. Also never had, knowingly, eaten marjoram.

Anyhow thanks for the recipe, it is/was a winner.

I can imagine that the tomato is too much if you leave out the lentils as the tomato liquid is what rehydrates the lentils and so is leached off to an extent.

And now you are part of the exclusive group that has eaten marjoram knowingly.

Marjoram is one of those herbs that pair well with lamb and you will often find it along with rosemary in lamb dishes.

I would not recommend adding the lentils if you are doing it in the slow cooker though. They will turn to an unappealing mush. I sadly don't eat pasta often and reserve it for rare occasions, so have not made it with penne. I'm sure it was yummy.

[Morne - Skip]

I can imagine that the tomato is too much if you leave out the lentils as the tomato liquid is what rehydrates the lentils and so is leached off to an extent.

And now you are part of the exclusive group that has eaten marjoram knowingly.

Marjoram is one of those herbs that pair well with lamb and you will often find it along with rosemary in lamb dishes.

I would not recommend adding the lentils if you are doing it in the slow cooker though. They will turn to an unappealing mush. I sadly don't eat pasta often and reserve it for rare occasions, so have not made it with penne. I'm sure it was yummy.

Sies

[Emmie L]

Sies

Daar het jy nou die antwoord vir jou roosmaryn probleem. Vervang dit net in resepte met marjolein. So maklik opgelos.

[Peter1949]

Do you have to Emmie. I am trying to get my weight down to pre-Christmas level

Ja ST, the lentils are a bit high carb ... but I guess I can dare it now given my major weight loss.
A good one for the cooler months methinks.

[Emmie L]

Ja ST, the lentils are a bit high carb ... but I guess I can dare it now given my major weight loss.
A good one for the cooler months methinks.

Peter I find the little red ones in this recipe are not as robust as the others. Also, in winter the body naturally craves more carbs so this is the lesser of the evils to satisfy that and keep on the lower carb side. I mainly make this dish in winter time.