Anything that is meaty, has been braised for hours, and is then spooned over a creamy polenta is a winner in my book. This lamb ragu is no exception. This dish was inspired by a conversation Jenny and I were having about what to cook for Easter - which led to a discussion of lamb inspired dishes - and so here we are. We wanted to share something that would be easy to serve for a crowd and that could be prepared well in advance.
Ragu, or an Italian meat sauce, can be super decadent. In Italy, however, whenever you come across a dish served with a savory meat sauce (typically with pasta) the sauce itself is typically thought of as a condimento or the complimentary element that lightly dresses the focus of the dish which is the noodle itself. In this dish I think of the polenta as being every bit as important as the ragu itself.
Although polenta can be prepared well in advance and kept warm, it does require a bit of babysitting in the beginning stages. I recommend bringing the water to a simmer, whisking the polenta in, then keeping a close eye on the consistency for the next few minutes. Often times the instructions on the package will give a 3:1 water to polenta ratio but I often find I need to add another cup or two of water and keep a close eye on it for the first 10 minutes or so. Once you get it to the right consistency you can add your butter and parm and stick a lid on it and keep it warm until you’re ready to go. Depending on how far in advance you prepare the polenta, it may thicken a bit in the pot so you may have to add some hot water just before serving.
If you have a dutch oven you’re gonna wanna break it out for this one, otherwise you could just braise the lamb shanks the whole way on the stove top.
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 3 hours |
| Passive Time | 3 hours |
| Servings |
people
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- 2 pieces lamb shanks, about 1.25 lbs each
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 14 oz can tomatoes, crushed
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 sprig rosemary, chopped
- salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups polenta
- 6 cups water, plus more if needed
- 8 tablespoons butter, cubed
- 3/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons celery leaves, thinly sliced use the inner leaves that are more yellow in color
- 2 lemons zested
- 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Ingredients
for the lamb ragu
for the polenta
for the mint gremolata
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- Preheat the oven to 350. Season the lamb shanks generously all over with salt and pepper. In a dutch oven over medium-high heat add the olive oil and heat until almost smoking. Add the lamb shanks and sear until browned on all sides. Remove the shanks from the pan and lower the heat to medium. Add the carrots, onion, and celery and sweat (try not to brown) for about 10 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add the wine and reduce by half, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to dislodge any delicious browned bits. Stir in the tomatoes, add the chicken stock, bring everything to a simmer, cover the pot and place it in the oven for about 3 hours or until the lamb shanks are fork tender and easily pull off the bone. When ready, remove the lamb shanks from the liquid and pull the meat of the bone and roughly shred with a couple of forks. Meanwhile, simmer the braising liquid and skim the fat with a ladle. Add the shredded meat back to the braising liquid and simmer until the liquid has thickened (reduce by about half). Serve atop the polenta and garnish with the mint gremolata.
- Bring the water to a simmer and add a couple pinches of salt. Whisk in the polenta. If it gets super thick right off the bat add more hot water until you get your desired consistency. Cook over a low flame for about 15-20 minutes, whisking often, add water as necessary. The cook time will depend on the type of polenta you purchase. Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter one cube at a time. Whisk in the Parmigiano. Cover the pot and keep warm until you are ready to serve.
- in a small bowl mix together the sliced mint, sliced celery leaf, and lemon zest and dress lightly with the olive oil.
The mint gremolata has no mint?
Jimmy says
Hi Jennifer. Wow! thank you for the correction. Who knows why but we entered Italian parsley when writing the recipe instead of mint. Will make the adjustment now.