Soy-Braised Lamb Shanks

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat until very hot. Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan and heat until almost smoking. Carefully slide in the lamb shank in a single layer. Do not crowd the pan; cook in batches if necessary. Cook until golden brown on one side, about 4 minutes. Turn on another side and continue cooking and turning to evenly brown all sides and the top, about 8 minutes longer. Drain all of the fat from the pan.

Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan and heat until shimmering. Stir in the onions, shallots, and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the onion mixture to the pan with the lamb, along with the pears, scallions, lemongrass, ginger, chile, anise, wine, vinegar, soy sauce and honey. Add enough water to cover the lamb by ½ inch.

Cover and bring to a boil. Transfer to the oven and braise until the meat is completely tender and falling off the bone, about 3 ½ hours. Uncover and carefully transfer the lamb shank to a dish. Raise the oven temperature to 375F.
Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a large saucepan, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Bring to a boil and continue to boil over high heat until reduced by a third.

Return the shanks to the Dutch oven, meat side down, and pour the reduced liquid over them. Transfer to the oven and cook, basting every 5 minutes, until lacquered with a mahogany glaze, about 15 minutes. There should still be syrupy sauce left in the pan. 

Serve the lamb shanks with the sauce spooned over the meat.

• Grapeseed or other neutral oil
• 4 while (2-pound) lamb shanks, trimmed and patted dry
• 2 medium yellow onions, sliced
• 2 medium shallots, sliced
• 12 garlic cloves, sliced
• Kosher salt
• 2 Asian pears, cored and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 bunch scallions, green parts only
• 2 lemongrass stalks, smashed and thinly sliced
• 5-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 fresh long red (finger) chili, stemmed, seeded, and sliced
• 4 whole star anise
• 1 ¼ cups semi dry Gewurztraminer or Riesling
• 1 cup champagne vinegar
• ¾ cup soy sauce
• ½ cup honey

Peel the apples and put the peels in a bowl. Squeeze lemon juice over them, tossing to coat evenly.

Core the apples and cut into 1-inch pieces. Transfer to a large saucepan, along with the butter, jalapeno, and salt. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are just beginning to soften but are still firm in the center, about 9 minutes.

Transfer to a blender, along with the reserved peels. Puree until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Season with more salt to taste. Serve warm.

• 6 Granny Smith apples
• ½ lemon 
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 small jalapeno, chopped
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

Combine the apples, celery, scallions, and jalapeno in a large bowl. Cut the limes in wedges and squeeze the juice all over, drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss until evenly dressed. Serve immediately.

• 2 Granny Smith apples, quartered, cored, and very thinly sliced crosswise
• 2 celery stalks, very thinly sliced at an angle
• 2 scallions, very thinly sliced at an angle
• 1 small jalapeño, very thinly sliced into rings
• 2 limes
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper