Ruhlman's Twenty (42 page)

Like most braised meats, the shanks are best cooked one to three days before serving. If you serve them on the same day, be sure to spoon off the rendered fat. I like to accompany the lamb and tomato-based sauce with curried couscous and sautéed red peppers, but basmati rice or boiled potatoes would work well, too.

4 lamb shanks

Kosher salt

All-purpose/plain flour

Canola oil for sautéing

1 large onion, cut into medium dice

5 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat side of a knife

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons
ras-el-hanout
or curry powder

1 cinnamon stick

Lemon Confit
, 1 lemon scraped of pulp and pith, julienned or finely chopped

One 28-ounce/800-gram can whole peeled tomatoes, puréed in a blender or with a hand blender with their juices

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or cilantro/fresh coriander (optional)

Season the lamb shanks liberally with salt and set aside long enough for the salt to dissolve, at least 15 minutes or as many as 2 days. Put enough flour for dredging the shanks into a plastic bag. Add the shanks and coat with the flour.

In a Dutch oven or other heavy ovenproof pot, add enough oil to reach ¼ inch/6 millimeters up the sides and heat over high heat. When the oil is hot but not yet smoking, shake any residual flour off the lamb shanks and sear them until they have a nice crust. Remove to paper towels/absorbent paper.

Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C/gas 2.

Wipe out the pot, add a thin film of oil, place over medium-high heat, and sauté the onion and garlic until the onion develops some color, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin, ground coriander, cayenne,
ras-el-hanout,
cinnamon, and three-quarters of the lemon, and stir to cook the spices and coat the onion, about 1 minute.

Nestle the shanks in the pan, add the tomatoes with their juices, and bring to a simmer. Cut out a
round of parchment/baking paper
that will fit your pot. Press this paper lid onto the shanks or cover the pot with a lid, placing the lid slightly ajar. Set the pot in the oven. Cook the shanks until they are fork tender, about 3 hours.

Remove the pot from the oven and let the shanks cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Remove the congealed fat on the surface and discard. Reheat the shanks over medium-low heat or in a 300°F/150°C/gas 2 oven, just until heated through. While the lamb is reheating, soak the remaining preserved lemon in water for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve the lamb with the sauce and garnish with the lemon and the parsley, if desired.