by Karen Frazier

Several years ago, I came into possession of some cross-cut veal shanks, so I made Jim osso buco. He was immediately enamored, and it is one of his top requested meals. Of course, veal isn’t necessarily so easy to get where I live, but lamb is. Recently I picked up some pastured cross-cut lamb shanks, and I decided to adapt my osso buco recipe for the slow cooker, and for lamb. With an orange gremolata stirred in at the end, it’s really delicious.

Lamb Osso Buco

• 4 pastured (grass fed) cross-cut lamb shanks
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 large organic carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1 stalk of organic celery, sliced
• 1 can (14 ounces) organic diced tomatoes, drained
• Juice of 1/2 an orange
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 bunch Italian parsley, washed, dried, and finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• Zest of one orange, finely grated

1. In the crock of a slow cooker, combine lamb, onion, carrots, garlic, celery, tomatoes, orange juice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
2. After the osso buco is cooked, remove the lid and turn the slow cooker up to high. Allow to simmer, uncovered, for an additional 30 to 60 minutes to thicken the sauce.
3. Meanwhile, combine the parsley, cloves, and orange zest with a pinch of sea salt. Stir into the osso buck just before serving.

photo credit: Micaiena via photopin cc