INGREDIENTS
6 -8 lamb shanks depending on size
4 red onion, finely diced
2 leeks, finely sliced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
10 mushrooms sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon flour
1 tea spoon gravy powder
400g (1 tin) tinned, chopped tomatoes
1 bottle red wine
4 tablespoons Worcester sauce
200ml tomato sauce
200ml chicken stock
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
Small handful fresh rosemary, parsley and 4 thyme sprigs, finely chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Puff Pastry
METHOD
Large heavy casserole dish or slow cooker
1. In a fry pan add 1-tablespoon olive oil, warm over medium heat then add the onion, leeks, celery, carrot and garlic, coat in the oil, season with salt and black pepper and sauté for 10 minutes until vegetables are softened. Remove contents from pan and place aside.
2. During this time place flour and gravy powder into a large freezer bag and into which add the lamb shanks, seal bag and shake liberally to coat the meat with flour. Keep saucepan on the heat.
3. Add 1-tablespoon olive oil to the same pan used to fry the veggies and taking 2 at a time, seal and brown each lamb shank. When all shanks are browned, add them all into the casserole dish and top with the pre-cooked veggies and mushrooms.
4. In bowl, add the chopped tomatoes, Worcester sauce, tomato sauce, mustard and whisk to combine, pour over shanks along with the bottle of red and chicken stock. Top with thyme, rosemary and parsley. Cover pot and cook in the oven for 3-4 hours or until the meat falls off the shank bone when tested with a fork. Remember this can also be done in the slow cooker on medium.
5. Remove pot from oven and strain cooked shanks in a colander along with all the cooked veggies, retaining the strained cooking liquid. Strip meat from bones and place into individual pie dishes or one big pie dish with the veggies, and a good seasoning of salt and black pepper, mixing everything together.
6. Pour sauce all over pie filling, brush edges of pie dishes with water then top with the pre-rolled puff pastry. Brush generously with egg wash and bake in the oven for 20 mins or until pastry is golden brown.
Serve hot with roasted garlic mash and peas.