When my parents decided to move back to Greece, my mother asked if I wanted any of her beloved kitchen pieces. I was delighted to take one of her Bessemer pots — I couldn’t very well ask for all of them, could I?
To celebrate that little piece of nostalgia, I cooked a classic Greek-style dish in honor of the Greek community here in Australia who still use these pans.
I braised lamb shanks in a tomato sauce scented with a cinnamon stick. I adore that warm spice with tomato — it gives the sauce a comforting depth. If you’re not a fan of cinnamon you can omit it, but to my palate it makes the dish.
I originally hoped to braise goat, but couldn’t source any, so lamb shanks worked perfectly. Expect your home to fill with an irresistible aroma while this cooks — consider yourself warned.
Traditionally this would be served with hilopites, a homemade Greek egg pasta. I didn’t have any on hand, so I used dried egg noodles instead and it was delicious.
After a few hours of slow braising in the Country Kitchen pan, the meat should be falling off the bone. I like to remove the meat, shred it, return it to the rich tomato sauce, and toss it through the noodles. For a final Greek touch, grate mizithra over the top; if you don’t have mizithra, Pecorino or Romano are excellent substitutes.
📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Braised Lamb Shanks
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Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 celery rib, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 4 lamb shanks
- 2 cups passata, or use canned diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ⅓ cup red wine
- 2 bay leaves, dried
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Heat a little olive oil in a deep frying pan and brown the shanks on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add a little more oil if needed, then sauté the onion, carrot, celery and garlic until translucent.
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Stir in the passata (or diced tomatoes), tomato paste, stock, red wine, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Return the browned shanks to the pan, bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.
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Simmer gently for about 2–3 hours, depending on size, until the meat is falling off the bone. Remove the shanks and allow them to cool slightly, then shred the meat from the bones.
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Discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick, add the shredded meat back into the sauce, stir well, and spoon the sauce and meat over cooked egg noodles.
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Top with a sharp grated cheese such as mizithra, Pecorino or Romano.
Peter’s Tips →
- Calories listed do not include pasta.
Nutrition
This site provides approximate nutrition information for convenience only. Data is sourced from standard food composition databases and online calculators.
© Souvlaki For the Soul
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