Lamb Shanks - Red Pepper Yellow Pepper

Having braised many times this year, I have grown quite fond of the low and slow method of cooking tender meats.  Whether via slow cooker or through the use of the dutch oven, the results tend to be similar: fork tender, fall-off-bone deliciousness.  Throw in the fact that I'm using meats and cuts I've never had before, let alone cooked, and it's been a culinary and gastro education I would never give back.

A few days, I used the style of cooking that works perfectly around a busy schedule.  Cut, prepare and start before work, slow cooker does it's thing during work, and resume and complete after work.  The result?  Braised lamb shanks with red and yellow peppers and feta cheese served with orzo and chopped tomatoes.  Perhaps this was "comfort food" served in late June.  But the high that day was only around 70, so it wasn't a total mismatch.

I started by simply seasoning the shanks with salt and pepper, and searing them until golden brown on all sides, which was about 8 minutes.  I took them out and set them aside, while I added celery, carrots, onions, bay leaves, oregano and cumin.  After getting the vegetables softened up a bit, in when some white wine and beef broth.  I then poured that mixture into the slow cooker and set the lamb shanks on top and set it to cook on Low for 8 - 10 hours.  A few times during the process (not often, since a major benefit behind the slow cooker is to keep the moisture/steam inside), I based the shanks with the increasing liquid.  The smells that emerged throughout the house were classic slow cooker.  After 8 hours or so (when the meat is clearly fork tender and barely staying on the bone), I removed the shanks and strained all the remaining liquid through a strainer into a sauce pan, let it settle, and then spooned off the fat from the top.  I boiled that liquid down by one half, resulting in a thick gravy.  Meanwhile, in a skillet, I sauteed red peppers, yellow peppers, and garlic.  And in a separate station, boiled some orzo and tossed the finished product with some garlic-infused olive oil and chopped tomatoes.  I removed the good lamb meat from the fat and bone, and served it "shredded style" onto the plate, topped with the peppers, some feta cheese and fresh parsley.  Garnished the orzo with parsley as well, and here is the end result.  Loved the feta-lamb-pepper combination!  Yum.

38 down, 23 to go!