Cypriot Lamb Shanks in Sticky Sauce (Arnisio Kotsi Me Saltsa) Recipe
By Theo Michaels
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Easy
This was one of the first recipes I cooked for us to bring a little Greek culture to an East London flat. I remember cooking this years ago when my then girlfriend, now wife, and I moved in together in Canning Town in London (I’m sure she was doing a try-before-you-buy strategy on me... luckily for me, the returns policy has now expired).
This recipe is extracted from Cypriana by Theo Michaels, published by Ryland Peters & Small
Try Theo's recipe for Giant Baked Beans In Tomato Sauce or Bulgar Meat & Vermicelli Noodles!
Ingredients for Cypriot Lamb Shanks in Sticky Sauce
- 4 lamb shanks
- 2 onions, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or 5 whole cloves
- 250 ml/1 cup red wine
- 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1 tablespoon Greek honey
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 100 g pitted ready-to-eat prunes (or apricots)
- 500 ml passata/strained tomatoes
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil, for cooking
- 2 tablespoons toasted pistachio nuts, chopped, to garnish
- A generous pinch of dried rose petals, to garnish
- Freshly chopped coriander/cilantro, to garnish (optional)
How to make Cypriot Lamb Shanks in Sticky Sauce
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F) Gas 4.
- Season the lamb shanks generously and brown them in hot olive oil in a lidded ovenproof pan until coloured all over, then remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, fry the onions slowly for about 10 minutes until they have coloured and turned a deep golden hue, then add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
- Add all the spices and stir through to coat the onions, then add the wine. Cook with a lide and cook over a high heat to reduce the wine by half. This will concentrate the fl avour of the sauce.
- Finally, add all the other ingredients and return the lamb shanks to the pan, bottom-side down, so the bone is sticking up. Slowly add about 500 ml/2 cups of water, just enough to cover the meat (the bones can stick out). Bring this to a simmer, then cover and place in the preheated oven for 2 hours.
- Once done, remove the pan from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before removing the lid.
- Serve the lamb shanks sitting upright, with a few ladles of the juice poured over. Garnish with the pistachios and rose petals, as well as some freshly chopped coriander, if you like.
About the author
Theo, a chef, TV presenter, and author, rose to fame on Masterchef 2014. He's appeared on Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch and writes for Best Magazine. As a culinary advocate, he serves as a Kenwood and CannedFoodUK Ambassador. With nine cookbooks, like "Orexi," he showcases his expertise. He's a CoolBrands Council member, Executive Chef, and co-owns a coffee house. Theo's lockdown cookalongs earned him the title ‘UK’s home economist.’ He's also the co-founder of FiveDinners.com.
