Valentina's Giouvetsi Baked Lamb Shanks & Pasta
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 3.5 hours
Serves: 4-6 people
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Oil for frying
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2 large or 4 small lamb shanks equivalent to 1.3kgs/46ozs. (I used 2x650g/23oz lamb shanks)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 onion, peeled and diced
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cups/1 litre/2.1pint beef stock
- 3 cups/300g/10.6ozs dried pasta
- 400g/14ozs tin diced tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons/80g/3ozs tomato paste
- 3 cups/750ml/1.6pints beef stock
- 1 chilli, sliced
Step 1 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and massage into lamb shanks. Then heat a frypan on medium high heat and brown the lamb shanks all over - this takes around 10 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
Step 2 -Add the onion, carrot and garlic to the pan and cook until softened scraping up any of the pan bits and juices adding oil if needed. Place this mixture into a large deep baking dish (or in a pot that fits them)-mine was 32x27x5cms/12.5x10.6x2inches. Add the lamb shanks, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and 4 cups of beef stock-it should go 1cm/1.2 inch up the sides. Bake for 1 hour uncovered. Then spoon juices over the lamb and cover with foil and bake for another 1-1.5 hours (as my shanks were so big it took 2.5 hours total but smaller ones should take less than 2 hours).
Step 3 -In a jug mix the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock and chilli with the pasta and then pour around the lamb shanks making sure that the pasta is submerged under the liquid so that it cooks properly. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. scatter chopped oregano and parsley over the dish and serve. Pull the meat apart with forks and enjoy.