Cooked gently over a low heat, lamb shank becomes meltingly tender—perfect for an elegant, restorative broth.
Ingredients
1 lamb shank, about 1lb (500g)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
1 turnip, peeled and cut into chunks
1 onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
8 1/2 cups (3 1/2 pints/2 liters) water
4 tsp sea salt
1 cucumber, cut into thin strands or "spaghetti" (see note)
plain (natural) yogurt
a few sprigs of mint
black pepper
Directions
Put all the ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 3—4 minutes and skim off the froth that forms on the surface, then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 1 1/2—2 hours, until the lamb is tender and almost falling off the bone, then remove from the heat.
Remove the shank from the stock, then pass the stock through a fine strainer or sieve into a clean saucepan (discard the vegetables) and keep hot. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Shred the lamb meat from the bone.
To serve, divide the shredded lamb meat among 6 soup bowls. Gather the cucumber strips into 6 bundles and add one to each bowl, then pour over the hot stock and add a tablespoon of yogurt. Finish with a few mint sprigs and a grinding of black pepper. Serve immediately.
