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Rare-grilled lamb chops or a roasted leg of lamb can be delightful and are easy to cook if you’re in a hurry. But with a little planning, you’ll find it’s the shank of the lamb that deserves the most praise. Careful, slow simmering will coax lamb shanks to a flavorful succulence far superior to other cuts.
Long braising shows off the lovely silky, almost-sticky texture that is their trademark.
Lamb shanks are versatile, too, easily adaptable to recipes from many different cuisines. Employing a heady Persian spice mixture, for instance, makes a lamb shank braise that is complex and nuanced. The flavors are balanced, with subtle hints of orange, lime, saffron, cinnamon and dried rosebuds.
I’m lucky to count some Iranian-Americans among my circle of friends and acquaintances. Every one of them is a passionate cook, and when they talk about Persian food, they seem to glow with excitement. Listening to them reminisce about food from their childhoods and the festive food served for holidays makes me hungry.
My friend Andy Baraghani, a talented local chef, has taught me that Persian cuisine, though it uses lots of spices, is never overspiced, and the use of hot pepper is rare. Fresh, light and healthy is an accurate description. A meal always has an accompaniment of green herbs of all sorts — basil, parsley, dill, cilantro, tarragon, garden cress, mint, fenugreek sprigs and chives, along with scallions and radishes. He tells me that his father, who prefers to have his main meal of the day in the afternoon, has just tea and a platter of herbs in the evening.
Rice, a Basmati type, is also a permanent presence, whether served on the side or as part of a dish. On any given day, it may be plain buttered rice, but it is often stained yellow with a drizzle of saffron water. Or it is embellished with the traditional crisp buttery bottom called tahdig. For the method, you can consult my recipe for Persian jeweled rice, made with dried fruits.
Sweet spiced aromas waft through my kitchen as my lamb shanks simmer in the oven. I’m nibbling pistachios and sipping cool water flavored with a few drops of rosewater. There’s a basket of pomegranates, oranges and limes on the table. I’ll sit here for a while, anticipating a fine dinner with a Persian accent.