This week’s recipe for Cook the Book Fridays comes from Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook, Everyday Dorie. Braised Lamb Shanks with Tomatoes and Olives was the perfect dish for a recent cold snap in Toronto and, bonus, it used up the lamb shanks we already had in the freezer!
Garlic, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and olives are cooked with the lamb shanks in a long braise in the oven. Dorie’s recipe calls for rosemary and some citrus peel as the flavour profile. I used the citrus peel (lemon and clementine) but as I had some “Moroccan lentils” already cooked (a pre-packaged make-it-yourself-meal from a local bulk food store that includes all the ingredients and spices), I went with my trusty Ducros “Épices Marocaines” that I often bring home from France. This contains cumin, paprika, coriander, garlic, black pepper, cinnamon, fennel, allspice, fenugreek, mint, and parsley) – I was making half the recipe with 2 lamb shanks and used 2 heaping tablespoons and it felt like the right amount.
We served this with couscous and the aforementioned lentils and it was a wonderfully warming winter dish. I think it would work well with chicken thighs (I know some other CtBF participants used them so I can’t wait to read about that) and I will experiment with this at some point this winter.
Bonus? This makes the house smell amazing!
Get the recipe for Braised Lamb Shanks with Tomatoes and Olives on page 163 of Dorie Greenspan’s Everyday Dorie.
Buy Everyday Dorie and join us cooking our way through the book!
Buy Everyday Dorie on Amazon (this link should bring you to the Amazon store geographically closest to you, for free worldwide shipping, you can purchase from Blackwell’s or support your local Indie bookstore by purchasing from Bookshop.org then join us over on Cook the Book Fridays!
Please note: This post contains affiliate links. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post also contains affiliate links for Blackwells and Bookshop.org. This means that if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you). Thank you in advance!
__________
Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of “Everyday Dorie” for review purposes. I was not asked to write about the book, nor am I being compensated for doing so. All opinions 100% my own.
_________
Buy my books! In the French kitchen with kids and French Food for Everyone: le goûter (after school snacks), le dîner (dinner) and le petit déjeuner (breakfast) are out now! Click here for details and how to order!
_________
Like this post? Get blog posts delivered to your inbox! Sign up here!
Sounds like you made the perfect winter meal! …and way to go using up meat you already had in the freezer!!
Very successful dish playing around with lamb, lentil and the Moroccan mix. With particular interest is the Moroccan mix. I brought some home from Morocco but I’m running out of it. I’d have to start putting together my own tagine mix.
yes, this totally made me think of a tagine, and next time I’ll spice mine that way instead of with rosemary…sounds like a great dinner!
Lucky you had lamb shanks in the freezer already. I think my husband would have preferred all those spices, he thought the dish a bit plain. I took your lead and served with couscous also.