Arun Kapil's Jalfrezi Lamb Shanks with buttered saffron, savoy cabbage, butternut squash, peppers & tomato spiced gravy.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 4 good sized, meaty lamb shanks, bone cleaned
- 25g unsalted butter
- ½ a medium-sized butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, chopped into chunky 25mm dice
- 1 red and green bell pepper, each deseeded and sliced into 8, thin wedges
- 1 x 300g jar Green Saffron Jalfrezi sauce
- 500ml, Greek yoghurt, full fat
- 200ml light chicken stock
Garnish
- 1 tblsp red wine vinegar
- 1 red finger chilli, deseeded, finely diced
- 1 lemon, sliced into wedges
Cabbage
- 100ml dry white wine
- Pinch Green Saffron saffron threads
- 5 small shallots, peeled, halved
- 75g unsalted butter
- 1 Savoy cabbage, core removed, outer leaves and heart fine-sliced into ribbons
- Sea salt, to taste
Method
- Preheat your oven to 140°C Gas Mark 1
- Wrap a small strip of foil around the end of the shank bones, about 50mm wide, tie the foil cap securely with butcher’s string
- In a tall straight sided casserole dish, gently fry the squash and peppers in the butter for a couple of minutes, then pour in the Green Saffron sauce, the yoghurt and stock. Stir well
- Once the sauce has begun to bubble gently, put the shanks upright in the sauce, cover with foil, pop the lid on and place into your oven for around 4 hours, or less if the shanks are a little skinny. Basically, when finished cooking, the meat should be ‘meltingly tender’
- Carefully with a slotted spoon take the shanks and vegetables out, trying to make sure they hold their shape and set aside on a handy warmed plate
- Place the pot onto a medium heat, add the vinegar and chillies to the sauce and cook for 5 minutes stirring well to combine or until the sauce is glossy and smooth. Spoon the vegetables back into the sauce and gently stir through. Set aside.
Cabbage
- Steep the saffron in slightly warmed wine
- Gently fry the shallots in the butter for 5 minutes, add the sliced cabbage a good clutch of sea salt and the saffron wine.
- Cook until a glossy emulsion just coats the cabbage, adding a splash of water if necessary, (the cabbage should be just cooked so it has a slight crispness and still have its vibrant green colour.). Be ready to serve immediately, so as to retain fresh green colour.
Assembly
- Take four warm dinner plates, place a lamb shank on each, remove the foil cap, coat generously with the sauce and serve the saffron cabbage and a squeeze of lemon juice.