I bragged about my lamb shank bargain here before sharing the recipe for a delicious lamb shank braise with rosemary. The two remaining shanks from this win, I made into the first soup of the season.
I am a self confessed soupaholic. During the cooler weather there is always homemade soup to be found in my fridge, a quick, easy and nutritious lunch, full of fresh vegetables cooked in homemade stock. The soup may be a smooth creamy purée or it may be full of chunky vegetables and meat. Sometimes I stick to classic combinations such as leek and potato, other times I wing it with what I have on hand, as I did when I made this delicious potage.
2 lamb shanks
3 carrots diced
3 sticks celery, diced
1 cob of corn
1/2 cup peas
1/2 red capsicum, diced
1 parsnip, diced
2 waxy potatoes, scrubbed and diced
A small wedge of Jap pumpkin, peeled and diced
1 organic vegetable stock cube
3/4 cup brown rice
1/2 cup soup pasta,
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Roast the shanks at 180C for about 1 hour. This will render some of the fat and caramelize the outside. Transfer the shanks to a large pot.
Tip the fat off the roasting tray then deglaze the roasting pan with a little water being sure to scrape all the caramelized juices off the bottom of the pan. Add this to the soup pot then cover the shanks with water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for an hour.
Add the diced vegetables and brown rice then more water, the vegetables and shanks should be completely submerged. Return the soup to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes. Add the pasta to the pan and cook for a further 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove the shanks from the pot, and rest until cool enough to handle. Remove all the meat from the bone and break it into bite sized pieces with your fingers. Discard, the bones, fat and tendons.
Chill the soup then skim the fat from the surface. Reheat to serve. This will freeze well. Makes about 4 litres of soup.
I too am a soupaholic, as is my youngest daughter Emma. That’s one of our favourite things about autumn and winter. I was going to say “only thing”, but then I remembered hot chocolate, stews, foods roasting in the oven…
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Yep, there’s lots to love about winter…..
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Being a fellow soupaholic I would love to try this. I made lamb, for the first time, a few weeks ago. I think I would love it in soup! Fantastic recipe!
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Thank you, it was delicious. Traditionally it would have barley rather than rice.
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I never think of lamb as a soup meat. Your recipe here, though, sounds so good that maybe I should start thinking of it in that way. The photo of your bowl of soup says it all.
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The cheap gelatinous cuts, shank and neck make wonderful hearty soup, well worth trying John.
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