Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 lamb shanks, 2 lb each
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
4 cups water
10 chile guajillos, stems and seeds removed
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp dried oregano
6 garlic cloves
4 hoja santa
4 avocado leaves
4 pieces of parchment paper cut large enough to wrap shanks in
Procedure:
In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, sear the lamb shanks on all sides. Work in batches if necessary — do not over crowd the pan. Remove the shanks from the heat and set aside and cool.
In another pan, toast the cumin, cloves, and cinnamon for 3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside and cool.
In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the chiles, reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the chiles and reserve the water. Set aside the chiles to cool.
In a food processor, add 1 cup of the reserved water from the chiles, the rehydrated chile pods, vinegar, oregano, garlic, hoja santa, and the avocado leaves. Puree until smooth.
Place the shanks in a non-reactive dish and cover with the puree. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 3 hours.
When ready to cook the shanks set up a steamer large enough to hold your shanks.
It is also a good idea to have a steamer that holds a large reservoir of water. Wrap the shanks snugly in the parchment paper, then wrap in either foil or sturdy plastic wrap to make sure the juice from the lamb stays inside the paper.
Steam the shanks for 3 hours or until they are tender, adding boiling water to the steamer as needed.
Recipe Author: Ramiro Jimenez, Owner
Restaurant: Ramiro’s 954 Restaurant, 954 U.S. 6 Mahopac, NY, USA
Source: http://www.eventfulmagazine.com/images/issue_pdf/march_eventful13.pdf