Braised venison shanks with garlic and white wine
Shanks make a delicious meal and venison shanks are particularly tasty. The key to cooking shanks is slow, moist and low - taking your time. This recipe makes for a light flavoured sauce and goes perfect the venison flavour. Adapted from a recipe from the honest-food.net site.
Serves 4
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 150oC. Meanwhile coat the shanks in a little oil and salt.
2. Heat the oil or butter in a large ovenproof casserole pot and brown the shanks on all sides and then set aside.
3. Peel the garlic and the put into the pot and brown a little. Pour in the white wine and scrape any browned bits from the bottom. Bring all of this to the boil and add the chicken stock, thyme, rosemary and lemon zest. Simmer and add a little salt to taste if required.
4. Put the shanks into the simmering liquid (shin side up) and make sure the garlic is spaced all around them. Cover the pot and cook in the oven for around 1 and ½ to 2 hours or until the meat is about to fall off the shank.
5. Remove the pot from the oven and turn the oven up to 200oC. Carefully remove the shanks from the pot and arrange on a baking tray. Then remove about 10 to 12 garlic cloves (the rest will be pureed) and set aside.
6. Put all the sauce from the pot into a blender and puree. Pour into a pot and keep warm.
7. Use a little of the pureed sauce to glaze the shanks and then put them into the hot oven. Cook for 15 minutes, glazing with the sauce every 5 minutes.
8. Serve with the sauce poured over and the garlic cloves and a little rosemary.
