Slow Cooked Sicilian Lamb Shanks – 5th Runner Up!

Hello fellow food enthusiasts! Chef Richie here, at your culinary service.

Happy New Year!!! Can you believe it?! It’s 2017?! Let’s start this year out with a BAM! Congratulations to home chef Roxanne Chan who came up with a big bold hearty dish for our recipe contest – Slow Cooked Sicilian Lamb Shanks – very nice work chef! BRAVA! BRAVISSIMA!

 Slow Cooked Sicilian Lamb Shanks

• 8.5 ounces Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomato Halves with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, drained, reserving 1 Tbsp oil
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fennel bulb
• 1 can (15 ounces) small white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 Tbsp minced rosemary
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup water
• 6.5 ounces Bella Sun Luci SunDried Tomato Pesto with Whole Pine Nuts
• 4 small lamb shanks, 3/4-1 pound each
• 1 cup torn radicchio
• 1 cup torn arugula
• 1 navel orange, peeled, sectioned, chopped
• 1/2 cup Bella Sun Luci SunDried Tomatoes Julienne Cut with Zesty Peppers
• 1 Tbsp capers
• 1/4 cup chopped pitted black olives
• 1/4 cup snipped Italian parsley
• 1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• Orange zest for garnish

Combine the sun dried tomatoes, carrot, onion, fennel, beans and rosemary in a slow cooker. Mix together the wine, water and pesto till well blended; pour over the vegetables. Arrange the lamb shanks on top, then cover the pot and cook on Low heat 6-8 hours or till the lamb is tender.

When ready to serve, combine the radicchio, arugula, orange, julienne cut sun dried tomatoes with zesty peppers, capers, olives and parsley. Mix together the reserved 1 Tbsp oil and the vinegar till well blended; toss with the salad to evenly coat. Divide the lamb shanks and vegetables among 4 plates, top each serving with salad, garnish and serve. Serves 4.

This is a great dish for a cold, wintery dinner. It’s the true definition of comfort food. Chef Richie says, “In a comfort food dish like lamb shanks, sun dried tomatoes add Mediterranean flavor, flair and brightness. For all of you out there reading this, if you’re going to enter our online recipe contest (please do!), these are characteristics you should think about when testing and typing your recipe”.

Another characteristic I love about this dish is the salad on top. This is a unique twist and lightens up a dish that can traditionally be very heavy. The radicchio and arugala add crunch and isn’t it true that we all need more crunch in our lives? Buona salute is Italian for good health. Between the antioxidant-rich sun dried tomatoes and lightness of the salad on top of the lamb shanks, buona salute is right on.

So…once more, congratulations Chef Roxanne! I hope your and everybody’s 2017 has lots of crunch and deliciousness to it…and lightness too.

Now, everybody, get cookin’, happy cookin’ and buon appetito!

Amore,

Chef Richie