I always prefer meals that involve cooking meat in a sauce until it is soft and tender to those that involve baking meat in the oven, so when my husband asked me to make lamb shanks, I looked for a base recipe that included a sauce. I found a South African casserole dish that required the slow cooking of the lamb in a delicious sounding red wine sauce and this is my derivative of that recipe. I made this meal for a Fathers Day gathering at my home, so I used 14 lamb shanks. The original recipe only used 4 and is easily accommodated by dividing the ingredients by 3 (increasing a recipe doesn’t involve exact multiplication of ingredients).

Ingredients
14 small lamb shanks
250 gram packed to celery stalks, chopped
6 large carrots, peeled and sliced
2 large onions, peeled and diced
750 ml bottle of red wine of your choice
1 Tbspn garlic flakes
4 x tins diced tomatoes
60 gram tin of tomato paste
Olive oil for cooking
1 Tbspn thyme
4 dried bay leaves
4 cups beef stock + 2 additional cups beef stock
salt and pepper
1 cup plain flour
Method
Place the lamb shanks in a bowl (I split this step in 2 as I had 14 shanks) and cover with the flour and salt and pepper. I use a lot of pepper much to my mom’s disgust. Cover the shanks completely.
Heat the oil in a heavy based pot and brown the lamb shanks.
Remove the shanks from the pot and place in a large casserole dish.
Loosen any debris from the bottom of the pot by adding a few Tbspns of red wine. Scrap the debris out and into the casserole dish.
Add more olive oil and fry the onions for 5 minutes. Add the celery and carrots. Cook for another 10 minutes. Add the red wine, thyme, garlic (you can use more, I use a small amount because Dad hates garlic), tinned tomatoes, and tomato paste. Bring to the boil and turn down to a simmer. Add the 4 cups of beef stock. Carefully pour the contents of the saucepan into the casserole dish and place in the oven, pre-heated to 200 degrees Celsius.
Cook for 4 hours. After 2 hours remove the dish from the oven and top up the liquid with a further 2 cups of beef stock.
Serve with rice.

If you are interested, you can watch the cooking process show in the following two short videos.
MMmmmm I love lamb shanks and these look delicious
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Thank you, John.
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😊
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You are quite the cook!
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Hi Annette, it is my new hobby (you can read that as passion). Terence and the boys are liking it very much.
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You’re cooking is just as creative as your fondant characters Robbie!
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Hi Wayne, thank you. I am a person of passions and cooking is my latest one.
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and what other hidden talents may we see in the future?
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Maybe painting, you never know.
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I didn’t know that tomato and lamb go together.
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This tasted pretty good, Liz, so it definitely does. I like to feed my menfolk tomatoes, it is good for male health.
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I didn’t know that either! We have flowers on our tomato plants as we think!
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I’m not a lamb fan, but hubby would be all over this. Your statement about “increasing a recipe doesn’t involve exact multiplication of ingredients” sure explains some epic fails on my part, lol. I wasn’t aware of that. Thanks, Robbie!
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Hi Teri, I am not a huge meat eater and would easily go back to vegetarianism. I do like to join in with my family though and set a good ‘eating’ example of not being fussy and being experimental. Definitely, you should not double certain ingredients in cooking. That applies to baking too. Luckily, I am usually able to judge by looking at the dish when it comes to liquids. Spices should never be doubled up.
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My husband’s favorite meat is lamb, so he would be outside your door knocking to come in!
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HI Dorothy, the Karoo in South Africa is sheep country so we get a lot of lamb at good prices. My family like it too.
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Fantastic! Would you suggest using pork ribs for this one, though? (That’s the only available and affordable option where I am.)
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Hello, thanks for your comment. I think pork ribs would work very well in this casserole.
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Thank you!
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I’ve been cooking with venison shanks and like you, prefer cooking them like this, in liquid.
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Hi Tandy, I have never eaten venison, but Terence would certainly ask for it if he thought I would cook it. Somehow, in my mind I draw a line between animals raised as food and wild ones. Silly, but that’s how it is. T gets his venison when we go out.
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Hi Robbie,
I‘m learning how to cookwith your recipes. I love lamb shanks but have never ever tried to prepare them myself. However, I will try it sometime in the future. But I will have to invite 6 or 7 people to help me eat the shanks. 🙂
Shalom aleichem
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Hello Pat, I am so pleased to hear that. I’m glad you like the recipes. This recipe does cater for a number of people because it was a celebratory meal for us.
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It looks good to me!
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Thanks, Danny. This is a very nice meal for a celebration in the winter.
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This looks really good and tasty
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Hi Derrick, this is a delicious celebratory meal.
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I’m sure.
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Robbie, you prepared a feast for the fellows at your house.
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Hi Bernadette, we did have a lovely meal and a great day.
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That’s a lot of lamb shanks. I hope they were as delicious as they look.
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Hi Norah, my family enjoyed it very much.
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That’s great, Robbie.
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Fantastic, Robbie – I think it’s time I moved to your place lol. Toni x
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Hi Toni, thank you very much.
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On Sunday, we had lamb shanks in a red wine and mint sauce. But I have to confess I bought them already prepared and frozen, and cooked them in the microwave! They were delcious, nonetheless. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Hi Pete, that sounds like a great idea and a delicious meal.
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£8 for two shanks, not cheap, but very tasty! 🙂
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That is R160 which is R80 each. I think I paid R600 for 16 which is R40 each. That is exactly right as England is 2 x more expensive. New Zealand is 2.5 times more expensive and you pay to go into museums.
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That looks yummy. I haven’t eaten lamb often enough.
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Hi Jacqui, it was very delicious. We have lamb often because the Karoo in SA is lamb country.
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Your family is very lucky, Robbie! This looks delicious!
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Thank you, Lauren.
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You’re welcome, Robbie. My husband would love all the meals you share. 🙂
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I love lamb and lamb shanks sound yummy. I like the strong flavor of lamb. But my husband doesn’t eat dark meat. He can eat the vegetables in it.
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Hi Miriam, that is interesting. So does you hubby only eat poultry and fish.
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He eat beef also. For poultry, he eats white meat.
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It sounds like a Father’s Day feast! How wonderful
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Hi Christy, it was delicious 💖
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Reblogged this on Ed;s Site..
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Thanks for sharing, Ed
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Robbie you have become an expert looks like. Delicious and yummy. Thanks a lot.
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Hi Kamal, thank you, I am enjoying experimenting with food.
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You are always welcome dear Robbie. Nice it is.
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Lamb shank, is perfect for cold winter’s day.
Thanks
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I’m glad you like this recipe
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I can imagine the great notes from the red wine in this because last week we tried a steak that had a red wine sauce –
Well it is likely different with the lamb meat – and sounds/looks delicious
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Hi Yvette, the texture of lamb and beef are different, but they both benefit from the tenderizing properties of red wine and slow cooking.
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☀️😊
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Robbie, I don’t like lamb. Do you think this recipe would work with beef? 🙂
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Hi Debby, it would certainly work with beef. My oxtail recipe is not that different and oxtail is beef.
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Wonderful. Thank you. 🙂 x
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Great recipe! Thanks a lot
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I’m glad you like it. Thanks.
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You’re highly welcome! ❣️
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