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    Home » Recipes » Modern Greek Recipes

    Cinnamon Braised Lamb Shanks

    Published: Sep 2, 2010 · Updated: Jun 4, 2020 by Peter G · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    It's funny you know.  When my parents decided to move back to Greece my mother asked me if I was interested in any of her beloved kitchen items, I jumped at the chance and asked for one of her Bessemer pots (I couldn't be greedy and ask for all of them?...could I?).

    a plate of pasta topped with a meat sauce made from lamb shanks

    To bring back a little nostalgia I'm cooking up a Greek dish in honor of all the Greeks here in Australia who use this product.

    I braised some lamb shanks in a tomato sauce that was flavored with cinnamon.  I love this flavor combination.

    top down view of a pan containing three braised lamb shanks and a bowl of noodles

    I know a lot of people aren't keen on cinnamon and you could omit it but it wouldn't be the same in my opinion .   Originally I wanted to braise some goat but couldn't source any  however the lamb shanks work well.

    Just a note- your house will really take on an enticing aroma when you are cooking this dish-you have been warned!

    a white bowl filled with cooked noodles topped with a meat sauce

    A traditional way of serving this would be with "hilopites"- a Greek home made pasta. I didn't have any on hand at the time, so I used some dried egg noodles.

    After a few hours of braising the shanks in your Country Kitchen pan, the meat should be falling off the bone.  I like to pull all the meat off the bone and add it back to the rich, red sauce and serve it tosssed with the noodles. For a final Greek touch grate some "mizithra" over it-if you don't have any Pecorino or Romano make good substitutes.

    a pan filled with three cooked lamb shanks covered in a red sauce
    three braised lamb shanks in a black pan

    Cinnamon Braised Lamb Shanks

    Author: Peter G
    Lamb shanks braised with cinnamon and tomatoes served over egg noodles.
    4.50 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 3 hrs 15 mins
    Total Time 3 hrs 30 mins
    Cuisine Greek
    Servings 4 serves

    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 instead
    • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
    • 1 cinnamon stick
    • 1 cup chicken stock
    • ⅓ cup red wine
    • 2 bay leaves, dried
    • salt and pepper to taste
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    Instructions
     

    • Heat a little olive oil in a deep frypan, add the shanks and lightly brown on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add a little more oil, the onion, carrot, garlic and celery and fry until translucent.
    • Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, red wine, cinnamon stick and bay leaves and give everything a good stir. Add the browned shanks and bring to the boil and then lower your heat to a simmer.
    • Simmer shanks on a low heat for approximately 2-3 hours (this will depend on their size) or until the meat is falling off the bone. Remove the shanks and set aside to cool down. Once cooled down a little proceed to remove meat completely from the bone.
    • Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick from the sauce and add back the shredded meat. Give everything a good stir and ladle the sauce and meat over some cooked egg noodles.
    • Top with a sharp grated cheese such as mizithra or Romano.

    Notes

    1. Calories do not include pasta.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1 serve | Calories: 427 kcal | Carbohydrates: 20 g | Protein: 43 g | Fat: 18 g | Saturated Fat: 4 g

    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

    © Souvlaki For the Soul

    Made this recipe?Let me know how you went and tag @souvlakiman on Instagram!

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    Peter Georgakopoulos owner of Souvlaki For The Soul

    Yeia sou! I'm Peter! I consider Greek food to be the best food in the world. Let me show you how easy it is to prepare traditional and modern Greek recipes in your kitchen. And bonus points if you like baking too!

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