Pressure Cooker Lamb Shanks Braised in Red Wine

I was given a couple of lamb shanks yesterday and already had two in the freezer so I did a quick swap around of our meal plan and we had lovely, yummy shanks and mash for dinner.  As I focused on pressure cooker recipes in this month's Journal, I decided the pressure cooker would do a great job of braising these shanks.

I love braised shanks, but they are so expensive. It wasn't that long ago the butcher would give them to you as dog bones. Now they are trendy the price has gone up, making them a rare treat in our house.

When I see them on sale for around $6 - $7 a kilo I will buy them and stash them in the freezer, ready for winter stews, braises and soups. They are so delicious and a real winter warmer. If you've never tried to cook lamb shanks, give this recipe a go. It's so easy and very, very moreish.

With this recipe you can have delicious braised lamb shanks cooked and on the table in around 30 minutes. Cooked in the pressure cooker they are fork tender, with a delicious red wine gravy.

Ingredients:
4 lamb shanks
1/4 cup plain flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 large carrots, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tomato, quartered
3/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup water
1 beef stock cube

Method:
Heat oil in base of pressure cooker. Dredge lamb shanks in plain flour and brown all over in hot oil. Remove to a plate. Add a little more oil if necessary. Saute the onion, carrot, garlic and oregano until onion is clear, about 4 minutes. Add tomato paste, tomato, red wine, water and stock cube and bring to a boil. Add lamb shanks. Place lid on pressure cooker and bring to pressure. Once at pressure turn heat to low and cook 25 minutes. Use natural release to release pressure.

I served this dish with a potato/turnip mash and green beans, and ladled the gravy over the shanks once they were on the plate.

If you like a thick gravy add a little plain flour that has been mixed to a paste in some cold water into the juices after you remove the shanks from the pressure cooker.

And this dish would work well in the slow cooker too. I'd allow at least 8 hours on high to get the meat fork tender.