Lamb Shank with Toasted Orzo, Roasted Garlic, and Oven-Dried Tomato

Category
Dinner
Cuisine
Spanish
Serves
4
Time
45 minutes
From
Bobby Flay

Adapted from Bobby Flay: Chapter One

By the time Bolo opened in the mid-1990s, lamb shanks were well on their way to becoming the meat dish of the decade. It all started with Tom Valenti, the chef of the now closed Manhattan restaurant Alison on Dominick Street, who created a signature dish of braised lamb shank with white beans. I was just one of many chefs who followed Valenti's lead when I decided to offer a lamb shank at Bolo. I served mine with orzo, which we toasted before cooking so it had a nutty flavor running through it. Make this dish when you have a long Sunday afternoon at home. There should be a chill in the air, because this dish will certainly warm your heart.

Ingredients

lamb Shanks

  • 6 plum tomatoes, sliced in half through the stem
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 heads garlic, halved horizontally
  • 4 lamb shanks
  • 2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
  • 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
  • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2 cups port wine
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 4 cups chicken stock

Toasted Orzo Pasta

  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 16 ounces orzo
  • 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°F.
  2. In a small baking dish, toss the tomatoes in

1 tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 4 hours, until slightly shriveled but still plump. Set aside until ready to serve. (You can make the tomatoes up to 1 week in advance. Transfer them to an airtight container, cover with olive oil, and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.)

  1. Meanwhile, place the garlic heads in a separate small roasting dish and drizzle them with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Roast for about 1½ hours, until soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool; increase the oven temperature to 350°F.
  2. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted cloves from the skins into a bowl. Discard the skins and set the garlic aside.
  3. In a medium Dutch oven, heat the remaining

3 tablespoons olive oil over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Season the shanks on both sides with salt and pepper and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer the shanks to a plate. Add the celery, carrots, and onion to the Dutch oven and cook until caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the port and red wine, bring to a boil, and cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Add the stock and roasted garlic, then return the lamb to the pot. Bring to a boil, then cover the Dutch oven and transfer it to the oven. Roast for 2 hours, or until the lamb is tender.

  1. Remove the lamb shanks from the pot and transfer to a plate or baking sheet; cover to keep warm. Skim excess fat from the braising liquid and strain the liquid into a medium saucepan, discarding the solids.

Reserve 1 cup of the braising liquid for cooking the orzo. Bring the remaining braising liquid to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until it has reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

  1. Meanwhile, make the orzo: In a large saucepan, combine the stock and 4 cups water and bring to a boil.
  2. In a medium nonstick pan, toast half the orzo over medium-high heat until golden brown.
  3. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil over medium heat until the butter has melted. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the toasted orzo and the untoasted orzo and cook, stirring, for 1 minute to coat the pasta with the onion mixture. Add the hot stock-water mixture to the orzo a ladleful at a time, stirring until the liquid has been absorbed after each addition before you add the next, as you would for a risotto. Continue adding liquid until the pasta is al dente and the mixture has the consistency of a creamy risotto, about 20 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the reserved 1 cup lamb-braising liquid and stir until the butter has melted. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper.
  4. To serve, divide the orzo among four large, wide bowls. Add a lamb shank to each bowl, then spoon the tomatoes and some reduced sauce over each.

Notes

  • make the tomatoes and roasted garlic ahead