I'm so happy with how this dish turned out ! Instructions are a bit loose, as I was making it up as I go.
2 small lamb shanks
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
3/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
500 - 600ml passata (Italian red sauce - comes in a 1L bottle)
1-2 handfuls of dried red lentils (washed and picked over)
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp sea salt
chermoula seasoning (I have a lot of this, but I think you could use any sort of Italian or African spice mix)
(PLEASE NOTE : quantites are very approximate)
Jo Ann's cornbread (this is a half sized portion of the original recipe)
1/2 C flour
1 C yellow cornmeal (I used polenta)
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 large egg (I beat a whole egg, and threw half out)
1/2 C buttermilk
1/4 C milk
1. In a small cast iron dutch oven, lightly brown onion, carrot and garlic in a little EVOO over medium heat. Remove veges from pan, then add a bit more oil, and brown lamb shanks. Add the vegetables back in, as well as wine, stock and enough passata to cover.
2. Bake (with lid on) in the oven at 160C fan forced (320F) for 90 to 120 minutes, or until shanks are sticky and very tender. Check on the pot about half way through, and if it's looking a bit dry, add some water.
3. Take the pot out of the oven, remove the shanks and strip the meat off them. Return the meat to the pot, along with the red lentils and more water if necessary (needs to be quite soupy at this stage, as the lentils will absorb all the water). Cover and return to the oven while you prepare the cornbread.
4. Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl. Beat the egg, oil, milk and buttermilk together in a separate bowl, then stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Take the pot out of the oven and remove the lid. Spoon the cornbread mixture gently onto the top of the stew. It will sink a little if the stew is still quite soupy. Turn the heat of the oven up slightly to 180C fan forced (360F) and bake the stew, uncovered for another 25 minutes. After the cornbread is cooked, you can leave the pot in the oven and turn the top element (broiler?) on for a few minutes to get a really brown topping, if desired.
I would tell you to cut off your right hand, but you will need it for mixing the cornbread. Jiffy Mix isn't cornbread. It's cornmeal cake!!! You can make a batter of cornbread from scratch in almost exactly the same time as preparing a box of that other stuff. Try it!
