My love for anything and everything braised continues on with this outstanding recipe from the incomparable Mario Batali. (I came across this recipe in a Food & Wine cookbook on my shelf entitled Best of The Best. The cookbook is organized into what the magazine chose as the best cookbooks of 2012; one of which was Molto Batali.)

As with any meat that is tough and in need of a low and slow cooking method, these lamb shanks are first seared to golden brown, and then added into a pot of sautéed aromatics and liquids. The liquids used here are white wine, stock and a cup of tomato sauce. The aromatics and veggies: carrots, onions, garlic, leeks and the last minute addition of red grapes. After cooking for an hour-and-a-half in the oven, the meat is perfectly tender, the sauce rich and reduced, and the flavor combination of the sweet grapes with the meat is really delightful. Serve this dish over garlic mashed potatoes, polenta or even orzo.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.mariobatali.com/recipes/lamb-shanks-with-leeks-and-grapes/)

Tagged: braised lamb, braised meat, braising, carrots, chicken stock, Dutch oven, Food & Wine, grapes, lamb, lamb shanks, lamb shanks with leeks and grapes, leeks, Mario Batali, onions, shanks, tomato sauce, white wine, www.MarioBatali.com