tamarind braised lamb shanks.

speaking of spring....  lamb is a perfect ingredient for a spring dish.

i've done braised lamb shanks before, but wanted to do something different with them this time.  so i made a tamarind sauce to braise the shanks in.

coconut milk, tamarind concentrate, mint, carrots, onion.  let that cook for about an hour.  puree. set aside.

now for the lamb shanks.  the basic method of braising starts with browning the meat first.  get a good sear on it and toss it in a roasting pan.  but don't get ahead of yourself.  make sure the meat is fresh.  season it.

roll it in some flour.

get a pan hot with some oil or clarified butter.  toss 'em in. (ok, don't ACTUALLY toss them.  that would be ridiculous.)

let them get nice and brown before turning.

NOW, you can put them in your roasting pan.  i'd suggest spraying some pan spray first.  it's gonna get messy.

once the shanks are in your pan, cover with the tamarind sauce you made.  put in the oven at 250 degrees for about 6 hours.  low and slow.  

once my lamb was finished, we paired it with the fava bean salad and a harissa yogurt.  yum.