Recipe: Lamb Shank Risotto, as seen on Sunrise!

Check out the live demonstration on Channel 7′s Sunrise here

Lamb shank risotto with mint Gremolata

Serves 6

Lamb

6 x frenched lamb shanks (Get the butcher at your Lamboutique to french and truss the shanks, and keep the off cuts for the stock.)

2 medium brown onions diced

2 large garlic cloves sliced

4 tbs olive oil

2 bay leaves

2 tbs tomato paste

1 carrot diced

2 celery sticks diced

1 litre vegetable stock

1 litre of water

1.5 cups dry white wine

2 cans of diced tomatoes

stalks from 1 bunch of parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Risotto

3 large French shallots diced

1 garlic clove diced

500g risotto rice

250ml dry white wine

1.5 cups of frozen baby peas

25g butter

½ cup of grated parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

extra virgin olive oil to finish

Gremolata

½ cup of finely chopped mint leaves

1 tbs of lemon zest

Method

1. To cook shanks and make stock for risotto, sauté onions and garlic in a large pot with olive oil. Once onion is translucent add shanks and slightly brown on all sides.
2. Add tomato paste and stir pot, then add white wine to deglaze. Add bay leaves, carrot celery, stock, water, cans of tomatoes, parsley and allow to simmer for 2 hours with a lid on.
3. Once stock has been cooking for 2 hours remove shanks and any meat that may have fallen off while cooking into a bowl and set aside.
4. Strain stock into another pot and put liquid back on medium-high heat. Discard any carrots, celery etc from the stock.
5. To make risotto, gently fry onions and garlic in olive oil in a large pan or pot. When translucent add risotto rice and fry for about a minute. On a medium to high heat. Deglaze the pan with wine and allow rice to absorb while stirring.
6. Once the wine has been absorbed add a ladle full of hot stock to risotto and stir. Once absorbed add another ladle full of stock and remember to keep stirring. Repeat this procedure until the rice has almost doubled in size and is about 5 minutes away from being cooked al dente. (to the tooth)
7. Add in peas, Parmesan, butter, and a large ladle full of stock and stir. Season to taste. The consistency of the risotto should be very creamy and oozy, not sticky. If need be add another ladle of stock to get the right consistency.
8. Take off the heat. Mix chopped mint and lemon zest together to make gremolata. Serve risotto hot with one lamb shank per person, with a final drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of gremolata.