Lamb Shank Pumpkin Soup « The Foodie Goddess

Lamb Shank Pumpkin Soup

June 12, 2012 4 Comments

~ The Proof ~

Given that when I woke up this morning the temperature around Melbourne ranged from .7 and 3 degrees and yes I was absolutely loving our central heating that worked tirelessly through the night, I thought it would be a great idea to bring my loyal readers a yummy tummy warming soup. Now, I like my soup to be hardy and this definitely fits the bill. I posted on FB about me making this one day and got lots of positive feedback and people wanting the recipe.. but as usually it’s a bit of a delayed reaction with me but better late than never right?

Do you ever wish you could cook dinner in the morning and have it nice and warm on your plate in the evening without any effort on your part at all? Well my answer is, SLOW COOKER. I love my slow cooker because I can do just that. I make this soup in the morning, turn it on and by the evening it’s still sitting in my slow cooker, warm and delicious.. all I have to do is serve it. So I ask you, do you own a slow cooker? What is your favourite slow cooker recipe?

Introducing Lamb shank pumpkin soup….

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried brown lentils
3 french trimmed shanks (approx 700g)
2 tbsp moroccan seasoning
500g pumpkin, chopped coarsley
1 liter chicken stock
400g canned diced tomatoes
400g canned chichpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

How to:

1. Rinse lentils under cold water until water runs clear. Drain.

2. Combine lamb shanks, seasoning, pumpkin, stock, undrained tomatoes, chickpeas and lentils in 4.5 liter slow cooker. Cook covered on low for 6 hours.

3. Remove lamb shanks from slow cooker. When cooled enough to handle, remove meat from the bones; shred coarsely. Discard bones. Return meat to cooker; season to taste. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

NOTE: It is a good idea to remove any visible fat from the lamb shanks because otherwise the soup can get rather fatty.

Buon Appetito and STAY WARM! FG x

Adapted from ‘Womens Weekly More Slow Cooker Recipes’ cookbook

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

I love a hearty soup too and this looks wonderful! I am all about soups at the moment too! :P
- FoodieGoddess
  
  Better late than never… THANKS LORRAINE! Always love your comments on my blog!
Charles

I came at it the other way. I hate the thought of burning all those electrons all day, when my solar system could be earning me money, so instead I used a pressure cooker (a Fissler).

That also gave me the opportunity to brown the shanks first, and possible because I’m a lush, I deglazed them with some left-over Elefante red – a blend of the Spanish tempranillo and shiraz, which at $25 for two bottles is stunning value.

I picked up some Frenched shanks at the local IGA, and because they weren’t particularly substantial, I got half a dozen of them, then increased the stock to 1.5l.

My wife doesn’t like particularly spicy dishes, so I used 1 1/2 tablespoons of Ras el Hanout … is that the Moroccan spice you used? It’s very nice with pumpkin soup, at any rate, and it worked very well with this dish.

After the browning and deglazing, I plonked everything in, heated the pressure cooker on the gas to high, and cooked it for 35 minutes. I reduced the heat naturally (without the sudden shock of cooling by cold water), and the meat fell away from the bones.

What a great, simple winter dish!
- FoodieGoddess
  
  Firstly, OMG Charles the man himself came to check out my blog – YAY!!!
  Secondly, YAY!
  Thirdly, I am so honoured you where inspired to try your own version of this yummy winter dish :) Well done. I love your interpretation of it… good one! I love my pressure cooker although I do find mine a little temperamental, bit like the user :) Thanks for stopping by Charles, I do hope you stop by from time to time. x