This past Easter, our family came to a consensus that we would not roast a whole lamb on the spit. Greek Easter fell earlier on the calendar (April 19th) and the weather was indeed cooler than seasonal norms. We opted for a whole leg of lamb on the spit and decided to offer “lamb two ways”.

The second lamb dish was “Lamb Lemonato”. It’s Spring time and that means some fine baby lamb are on offer at the markets. Any bone-in cut of lamb could be used here but for presentation and ease, lamb shanks are best.

This main course is simple to prepare, offers a wonderful presentation, lamb shanks are affordable and the taste vs. ease to prepare ratio makes it an easy choice for a Sunday dinner or on the occasion of entertaining guests.

A brief note to those “on the fence” about lamb. I would rate this this highly for you to try as the “lemonato” sauce negates lamb’s gamey flavour and I would also recommend finding a local source of farm-raised lamb. New Zealand is widely available throughout the world but it’s strong flavour is not appreciated by all. For this dish, I used Ontario Spring lamb.

With regards to herbs, I’m using lemon verbena, lemon thyme and dried Greek oregano. Fully aware that lemon verbena and lemon thyme might not be readily available where you live, rosemary would work here, along with some regular thyme and lemon zest.

To accompany this dish, I served the lamb shanks on a bed of roasted garlic mashed potatoes, a simple salad of Spring greens with an olive oil and wine vinegar dressing and some steamed veggies offer a good balance.

This wonderful and easy dish also deserves a good wine – a good Greek wine. I opened a bottle of Alpha Estate Syrah 2005. The Alpha Syrah is an new addition to the LCBO stores here in Ontario and it’s wine with some definite cherry and chocolate and coffee elements. Some acidity in the finish complemented the “lemonato” sauce.

I had the pleasure of being given a tour of the Alpha winery last summer in Greece and I will soon introduce you to the Alpha Estate.

Lamb Lemonato

(serves 6)

6 lamb shanks

1 1/2 cups of dry white wine

1/4 cup of olive oil

juice  of 1/2 lemon

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon verbena (2 tsp. dried)

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon thyme (2 tsp. dried)

1 heaping tsp. of dried Greek oregano

sea salt and ground pepper to taste

enough water or vegetable stock to just cover the meat

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Rinse and pat-dry your lamb shanks. Season with salt and pepper and place your Dutch oven (or other oven-safe vessel) over medium-high heat. Brown in all sides of the shanks (in batches). Reserve.
2. Take the the Dutch oven off the heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Add your wine into the vessel, place back on to the stove’s element and reduce at medium heat while scraping up the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
3. Add your lamb shanks back into the vessel, along with the lemon verbena, lemon thyme and enough water or low-sodium stock to just cover the meat. Bring to a boil, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Place the cover on your Dutch oven and throw into your pre-heated oven.
4. Braise your lamb shanks for about 90 minutes and check the meat for tenderness (meat should pull off the bone). Place back in the oven uncovered for another 15 minutes if you would like the liquid to reduce some more.
5. When the lamb is done to your liking, remove from the oven and add the lemon juice and the dried Greek oregano. Gently shake the vessel back & forth to amalgamate all the flavours. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve on a bed of roasted garlic mashed potatoes.

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© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis