Ingredients
- 60 ml (2 fl oz/1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
- 8 French-trimmed lamb shanks, about 400 g (14 oz) each
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 chorizo sausages, quartered lengthways and sliced into 1 cm (1/2 inch) pieces
- 300 g (10 1/2 oz) Swiss brown mushrooms, cut into 2 cm (3/4 inch) wedges
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) good sweet sherry
- 750 ml (26 fl oz/3 cups) chicken stock
- thyme sprigs, to garnish
Buttered rice
- 400 g (14 oz/2 cups) long-grain white rice
- 3 teaspoons thyme
- 30 g (1 oz) butter, chopped
- 90 g (3 1/4 oz/1 cup) flaked almonds, toasted
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F/Gas 2–3).
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole dish over medium–high heat. Season the shanks well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add to the pan and brown in several batches, turning every couple of minutes. Remove to a plate.
3. Heat the remaining oil in the dish over medium–low heat. Add the onion, sausage, mushrooms and garlic and sauté for 15 minutes, or until the onion is very soft and translucent.
4. Pour in the sherry, increase the heat to high and boil for 5 minutes. Add the stock and the lamb shanks and bring to a simmer. Lay a sheet of baking paper over the surface, then cover with a lid or foil. Transfer to the oven and bake for 2 1/2 hours, or until the shanks are very tender.
5. Meanwhile, make the buttered rice. Put the rice and 625 ml (21 1/2 fl oz/2 1/2 cups) cold water in a saucepan, stir well and bring to the boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 12 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat, then stand, covered, for 10 minutes, or up to 90 minutes. Add the remaining buttered rice ingredients and fluff with a fork.
6. Remove the shanks from the cooking liquid. Place some kitchen paper on the surface of the sauce to absorb any excess oil, repeating as necessary. Place back over high heat and cook for 15 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by half.
7. For the next day, reserve 4 lamb shanks, 1 cup of the mushroom and chorizo mixture and one-third of the rice for the Spanish sausage rolls. (The ingredients can be refrigerated in airtight containers for up to 2 days, but are not suitable for freezing.)
8. Serve the remaining shanks and sauce with the remaining rice, garnished with thyme sprigs.
