Lamb Shank Posole'

I got this recipe from Food & Wine magazine. Don't tell anyone but I've have been receiving the magazine for more than 2 years and never solicited the subscription or ever paid for it. When I first received it I sent them an email telling them I never subscribed and don't send me another copy but they kept coming. Anyways…

I am drawn to Mexican soups. Obviously, from the name of the blog. I've made a couple of types of

Albondigas, Tortilla soups, Sea Food, Cheese, and Posole'. Most of the Posoles I've made have been with Chicken so when I saw this Lamb Shank recipe I was very interested. I've found Lamb can be a polarizing ingredient, most people are either fans or they can't stand it, not much middle ground. Knowing that, I was a little hesitant in making the soup for Soup At Work. After going over the recipe a couple of time I thought I'd give it a chance. It is a recipe that required more time than most of the soups I make so I planned on making it over the weekend rather a weeknight. The group at work liked it, it has a spicy tang to it that you don't really feel until you're on your second or third spoonful.

Here are a couple of critical adjustments I found helpful. First, the F&W recipe calls for 8 lamb shanks, yep 8. My initial reaction was holy crap, 8 lamb shanks is a lot of lamb and will take up a lot of space in my soup pot. Turns out my instincts were right and I only needed 4, I froze the other four. I was surprised I found all 8 at one store, but Sprouts came through. Second, even though you skim off the fat after braising the lamb in the broth, I recommend you chill the soup to the point where the fat will coalesce and you can spoon it off the top. Lastly, pull the meat off of the shanks after they've cooled from the braising, you can return one or two of the shank bones to the soup for show and for better flavored leftovers. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup of canola oil
• 4 lamb shanks
• Kosher or sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1 whole head of garlic, halved crosswise and then peeled
• 1 large red onion, diced (keep separate)
• 3 celery ribs, diced, and a couple of celery tops if you have them (keep celery separate)
• 2 large carrots, diced (keep separate)
• One 2-inch stick of cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 4 dried guajillo or ancho chiles, stemmed (you'll be re-hydrating these)
• 4 more dried guajillo or ancho chiles, stemmed and chopped
• 3 quarts of chicken stock
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• Two 15 oz cans of yellow hominy, rinsed and drained
• One 15 oz can of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
• Chopped cilantro, diced avocado and lime wedges for serving

METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
2. In a large enameled cast iron soup pot (7-9 quarts), heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil
3. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and add them to the soup pot and cook over medium-high heat. Turn the shanks and brown on all sides, this should take 10-12 minutes
4. Transfer the shanks to a baking sheet and loosely cover with foil
5. Add the garlic and half each of the onion, celery, and carrots to the pot
6. Cook the veggies until translucent, 7-8 minutes
7. Stir in the cinnamon stick, oregano, 1 teaspoon of the cumin and the 4 chopped chiles
8. Add the shanks back to the pot
9. Add all of the stock and bring to a boil on the stove top
10. Cover and braise in the oven for 2 hours, the lamb should come off the bone with a fork when done
11. While the braising is happening, put the 4 whole chiles in a heatproof bowl and add 2 cups of boiling water, soak for 30 minutes
12. After 30 minutes, transfer the chiles and 1 cup of the soaking liquid to a blend and puree until smooth
13. Remove the pot from the oven after 2 hours and remove the lamb shanks to a baking sheet and cover with foil
14. Strain the broth and discard the solids. Skim the fat with one of those cool skimmer/fat separators into a separate heat proof bowl
15. Heat the olive oil in the soup pot
16. Add the remaining onion, celery, and carrots and cook until translucent, about 7-8 minutes
17. Stir in the chile puree, coriander, hominy, pinto beans and the remaining 1 teaspoon of cumin and cook for 2 minutes
18. Add the broth and simmer for 10 minutes
19. Stir in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste
20. Remove the meat from the lamb shanks with a fork and return the meat to the pot, you can also return 2 of the shank bones to the pot if you like
21. If the soup looks like it could use more liquid add either more chicken stock or water, re-season if necessary
22. Serve with the cilantro, avocado, and lime wedges