30 Days of Summer Meals: Chef Doug Psaltis' POM-Glazed Lamb Shanks

POM Glaze

2⁄3 cup juice from POM Wonderful Pomegranates (or 2⁄3 cup POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice)

1 teaspoon ginger, grated

1 cup arils from POM Wonderful Pomegranates (or 1 cup POM POMS Fresh Arils)

Lamb Shanks

extra-virgin olive oil

4 lamb shanks (each about 1 1/4 lbs.; 1 shank is a portion)

kosher salt

1 large Spanish onion or 2 small yellow onions, cut into 1" dice

3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2" dice

Reduce the pomegranate juice down to a syrup, then add 1 teaspoon of grated ginger and 1/2 cup of pomegranate arils. Set aside 1/2 cup arils for garnish.

*For 1 cup of juice, cut 2–3 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates in half and juice them with a citrus reamer or juicer. Pour the mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer or sieve. Set the juice aside.

**To prepare fresh arils, score 1–2 large POM Wonderful Pomegranates and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranate under water to free the arils (seed sacs). The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl and the membrane will float to the top. Sieve and put the arils in a separate bowl. Reserve 1 cup of the arils from fruit and set aside. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining arils for another use.)

Lamb Shanks:

1 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2 Coat a large Dutch oven generously with olive oil and bring to a high heat.

3 Season the shanks generously with salt and add them to the pan. Brown well on all sides. (This is an incredibly important step; do not rush it.)

4 Meanwhile, chop the onions, carrots, celery and garlic into pieces and set aside

5 Remove the shanks from the pan to a sheet tray. Discard the excess fat from the pan.

6 Add a little more oil to coat the bottom of the pan and add the chopped vegetables. Sauté the vegetables until they are very brown and aromatic, about 20 minutes.

7 Add the tomato paste and brown for 5 minutes.

8 Stir in the wine, chopped rosemary and thyme bundle. Stir frequently and cook until the wine has reduced by about half.

9 Add the shanks back to the pot and pour in 3 to 4 cups of water. The shanks should be submersed; if they are not, add more water.

10 Add the bay leaves to the pan, cover and put in the preheated oven for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Turn the shanks over about halfway through the cooking time. Check the shanks every 45 minutes or so. If the liquid has reduced too much, add more water.

11 Remove the foil during the last 30 minutes of cooking time for maximum browning. When the shanks are done the meat should be incredibly tender and flavorful.