Lamb shanks with red wine

Lamb shanks are a good meat for long cooking.

Ingredients

Lamb shanks

Onions

Garlic

Red Wine

Bay leaves

Rosemary

Carrots

Fennel

Method

This is best marinated overnight. Put the lamb, wine, garlic and herbs in a tub to soak up the flavours.

The next day, season the lamb shanks with salt, pepper and flour. I also added some mustard. Brown them in butter or duck fat. Place in your baking dish.

Fry off the onions and add to the baking dish. The garlic should be whole or halved. Put the garlic, wine and herbs in the dish. You'll need about half a bottle per 500g's of meat.

Oven should be low - about 140 - so it can cook for a good 2 or more hours without drying out.

Add the carrots and sliced fennel after about 1 and a half hours.

Season the stew with salt and pepper. Check the flavours.

You might want to increase the heat towards the end to reduce the sauce.

Eat with bread and fresh green peas.

Belgian Beef Stew

A heart beery beefy hotpot

Ingredients:

Shin of beef

Onion

Duck fat

Belgian beer (Kwak or similar)

Carrots

Mushrooms

Redcurrant jelly, or jam

Red wine vinegar

Method:

Coat the shin of beef chunks in flour, salt and pepper. Brown it in duck fat (or equally life-threatening lard) in a separate pan. Move to the casserole. Brown the sliced onion in fat. Add a whole bottle of beer. Put it in the oven for 1 hour.

Chop the carrots into chunks. Add them and halved 'shrooms to the stew. After another hour, mix the jelly/jam with the red wine vinegar and to the stew for some beautiful sweet and sour flavours.

Return to oven for 10 minutes. Beef should be very tender, but still whole. Serve with warm bread.