Braised Lamb Shanks with Garlic Polenta...

This is a great fall/winter recipe...I'm hoping that next year most of the veggies will come from what I preserve out of my garden....

Ingredients:

For the Lamb Shanks:
2 lamb shanks
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, halved and sliced
4 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
3 garlic cloves,minced
1 cup white wine ( I use Barefoot Chardonnay)
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups fresh or canned diced peeled tomatoes
A sprig of fresh rosemary
A handful of fresh parsley
1 fresh (or dried) bay leaf
grated peel of one lemon


For the Polenta:
butter
3 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup milk
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 cup coarsely ground cornmeal (I use Bob's Red Mill)
6 tbsp grated, good quality Parmesan cheese


In a large heavy pot heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown lamb shanks  in oil and transfer to a plate.  Lower heat to medium. Add onion, carrots and garlic to pot and saute until onions are translucent.  Add remaining ingredients to pot and stir.  Return lamb shanks to pot, bring to a simmer and cover.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lamb is "fall off the bone" tender...about 2 hours.

About 45 minutes before the lamb is done, start the polenta:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly butter a medium sized baking dish.  Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan.  Gradually add the cornmeal, whisking until smooth with each addition.  Reduce heat to low and cook until cornmeal is soft and mixture is creamy, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and stir in 4 tbsp of the Parmesan cheese.  Transfer to the buttered dish and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan.  Bake until polenta is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

When lamb shanks are tender , remove them to a plate and tent with foil.  Turn up the heat and and boil the juices in the pot until thickened.  Spoon some polenta onto a serving plate or bowl, add a lamb shank and spoon pan juices and cooked vegetables over.  Garnish with more fresh parsley if desired.

Serves 2 ( with leftovers if the lamb shanks are as big as the ones I've been getting recently at QFC :)

Enjoy!

Deb