So when you want slow cooked with loads of flavour and amazing tenderness Hot Air with Steaming or Combination Steam is a great way to go in my humble royal opinion. As we've discussed before, this function adds moisture to your oven while you cook with your fan forced heat as you would have before. It amplifies the flavour, keeps the food moist and ensures the sauces are "saucy".  It also means there is no need to use lids or foil coverings. Usually the use of foil and lids in the oven is about keeping moisture in - with your Combi Steam and Hot Air with Steaming (Combination Steam) the clever little oven does all the work.

This is the perfect Sunday night dinner....put it together earlier in the day then put your feet up and relax while the oven does all the work. (Please note: putting your feet up can be replaced by washing, ironing, making Monday lunches, grocery shopping etc etc....personally I'd usually go for the feet up but sometimes there's no way around the mundane!)

When you cook this dish you will have gorgeous sticky shanks and a lovely sauce full of veggies and delicious goodness.

So here it is!

serves 4
cooking time: 3.5 hrs (see Notes for using Switch Off Time function)

Ingredients:
4 lamb shanks (trimmed by the butcher if preferred)
1 leek (root & tough green ends discarded)
3 medium carrots (chopped)
1 medium zucchini (diced)
3 sticks celery (sliced)
1 large brown onion (diced)
4 cloves garlic (squashed but whole)
3 tbs dried oregano (or some sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme)
2 bay leaves
extra virgin olive oil
1 x 400g can crushed tomatoes
1 heaped tbs Dijon mustard
1 heaped tbs tomato sauce or ketchup
3 tbs Worcestershire sauce
approx 500ml chicken stock
chopped fresh parsley to serve

Method:

1. Place the veggies in a large casserole pot of dish (make sure the shanks will fit in too later) with 2 tbs olive oil, garlic, bay and oregano. Stir to combine and add a couple of good pinches of salt and pepper. Place into the Combi Steam. Select Hot Air with Steaming/Combination Steam. Set the temperature to 150°C. Cook for 15 minutes.

2. Remove the pot from the oven. Reduce the temperature to 140°C.

3. Add the tomatoes, mustard, ketchup and Worcestershire. Add a little extra seasoning. Add half of the stock. Stir to combine.

4. Lay the shanks on top and push down to partially cover in the sauce. About ¼ of the shanks should be exposed from the sauce. Add some extra stock to get this to happen if needed.

5. Place the pot (uncovered) into the oven. Cook for 3½ hours. Set a reminder timer for 2 hours.

6. After 2 hours turn the shanks or spoon over some sauce (note: this is not crucial but I like to)

7. Remove and serve sprinkled with parsley alongside some mash or cauli purée or even just some fresh crusty bread.

Notes:
*If you need to feed more you can use a larger pot and add some extra shanks or cook two batches on two levels.
*If you have leftovers (as if!) you can strip the meat for the shanks, add it back into the sauce and add enough stock to turn it into a soup. Then place onto the stove and bring to a simmer for 10 mins before refrigerating or even freezing.
*If you have a delayed start or "end time function" use that to set this up in advance and have your perfectly cooked lamb shanks ready just when you want them.

Enjoy this one. It's a really winter warmer!

Happy Combi Steaming!

The CSQ. x