Lamb Shank & Winter Veg Soup

So the weather is cold, staying home just feels right and eating something warm and comforting is heavenly! We all know that when winter rolls around it feels like, for some reason, you just can't stop eating; hunger is repeatedly banging on the door to you tummy crying out to be paid some attention!

This recipe is something that I came up with last weekend after a chilly but satisfying trip to the local farmers market. I came home armed with an arsenal of winter veg and some lovely pink lamb shanks that I'd picked up from the local butcher. The celery, carrots and the lamb were screaming soup so what else could I do but  whip up a batch of something that warms the bones and soothes the soul. And the other positive is...it's healthy, so when the hunger pangs won't let up you can go back for seconds and know that you're jeans will still do up tomorrow!!

You'll Need:
a large pot (big enough to fit all the ingredients together) I love my Le Chasseur pot so if you have one it's perfect!
1 onion
1 turnip
1 parsnip
2 sticks celery
1 large carrot
1 swede
2 lamb shanks
2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tbs dried rosemary)
1 litre chicken stock
1 tbs tomato paste
1 bay leaf
olive oil
1 tbs worchestershire sauce
1/2 cup risoni pasta (if you're gluten intolerant you can leave this out!)
S&P

To make:
*peel and chop all your vegies into small dice (about 1cm cubes if you can but if you like a chunkier soup them it's up to you)
*heat up your pot on med-high heat until hot and add a slurp of olive oil
*season your shanks with S&P and then put in the pot, turning to seal them on each side (don't cook them just get them to go brown on each side to seal in the juices - a bit of crisp is good on the outside too!)
*remove the shanks to a plate and cover loosely with foil
*add another slurp of olive oil and add the diced vegies then saute until just starting to soften
*add the tomato paste, worchestershire sauce, rosemary, bay leaf, a good pinch of salt, a few good grinds of pepper and stir to combine
*return the lamb shanks to the pot and pour the stock over the top (they need to be just covered so you might neet to move the vegies out from underneath to get them down and/or add a little water)
*bring the soup to the boil and then turn it down to as low as possible, cover and let it simmer for about 2 hours or until the lamb comes off the shanks really easily (test it by scraping a fork down and it should shred off) if it's not tender then keep cooking and check again in another 1/2 hour
*remove the shanks to a plate and shred the lamb from the bones using two forks
*discard the bones, place the meat in the pot, add the risoni (if using) and simmer for another 20 mins
*taste for seasoning and add some more S&P if you need to
*soup can be served immediately or you can refrigerate for up to 3 days or it freezes well for an easy dinner later on.

I made mine on Monday and I'm still enjoying it today (Thursday)! Delicious, comforting, heartwarming and healthy!

Enjoy! Stay tuned for my weekly meal plan tomorrow!

Chin Chin xx