Jerte Picota Cherry Glazed Lamb Shanks

Jerte Picota Cherry Glazed Lamb Shanks

Heavenly tender lamb shanks with a Jerte Picota Cherry glaze, this dish is truly out of this world!

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time:  3 hours

Ingredients

2 tbsp plain flour

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

4 lamb shanks

1 tbsp olive oil

400ml red wine (a merlot works well)

600ml good quality chicken stock

250g Jerte Picota Cherries, pitted

1 tbsp cornflour

Preparation method

1.    Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas mark 4.

2.    In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt, pepper and cumin, add the lamb shanks one by one dusting each with the flour mixture.

3.    Add the oil into a large lidded oven-proof casserole dish and place over a medium heat, now brown the shanks.

4.    Pour the wine, stock and cherries into the casserole and bring to the boil.  Cover with the lid and place in the oven for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.  Remove the lid and cook for a further 30 minutes uncovered.

5.    Place the lamb shanks onto a plate and wrap with foil to keep warm.  Pour the sauce through a sieve and set aside the cherries. 

6.    Put the cornflour in a bowl and mix in 2 tbsp of cold water.  Pour the sauce into a large pan and whisk in the cornflour paste.  Bring to a simmer and continue whisking for a further 10-15 minutes until the sauce thickens, season to taste and return the cherries.

7.    Place a lamb shank on each plate and pour over the Jerte Picota cherry sauce and cherries.  Serve with buttery mash & seasonal vegetables, rice or cous cous.  Enjoy!

Why are Jerte Picota cherries so delicious?

·         The Jerte Picota Cherry is a special variety of cherry that is native to the beautiful Jerte Valley in Northern Extremadura, Spain, 200km west of Madrid. This area is famous for the incredible cherry blossom of more than a million trees that takes place each year.

·         It is a 100% natural product that follows a natural growing season, which is why the arrival of the Jerte Picota Cherry changes each year and why they are only available for six weeks each summer.

·         When the cherries are ready to be harvested at optimum ripeness, they are hand-picked off the trees, leaving the stalks behind, and placed into chestnut baskets. This is why they are sold without a stalk.

·         Jerte Picota Cherries are usually available from the end of June until the beginning of August in the UK, and they are expected to arrive in stores from the beginning of July, due to the cold winter this year.

·         The Jerte Picota Cherry are a P.D.O. Product (P.D.O. standing for Protected Designation of Origin) which certifies that the fruit has been grown, harvested and packed under rigorous quality-controlled procedures and has come exclusively from the Jerte Valley in Spain.

·         The Jerte Picota is not only unique from its P.D.O. status but also from its stalkless harvest and its shape, which has a slight peak to the base, hence the word ‘Picota’ means ‘peaked’.

For more information on Jerte Picota P.D.O., please visit https://cerezadeljerte.org/en/