This Lamb Shank Soup from Sweet Greek is the perfect warming recipe for winter. It is by Kathy Tsaples and from her second book Sweet Greek Life.

Ingredients

3 lamb shanks, trimmed of fat

¼ cup Greek extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 onions, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 celery sticks, diced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 bay leaf

1 × 400 g tin diced tomatoes

1L vegetable stock

½ cup small macaroni

½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped

lemon wedges, to serve

Method

In a pot that can hold the 3 lamb shanks, bring clean water to the boil. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the shanks and blanch for 5 minutes. This helps to remove fat and impurities. Remove and rinse the shanks, and set aside. Discard the water.

In a large, heavy-based saucepan with a lid, sauté the garlic and diced vegetables in the oil until they are soft and beginning to colour. Add the salt, sweet paprika, bay leaf and tinned tomatoes, and continue to cook for an extra minute.

Add the shanks and enough stock to cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 2 hours, until the meat is falling off the bones.

In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the macaroni pasta. Check the level of the liquid, adding any remaining stock or water if the meat is no longer covered or the soup is too thick, as the pasta needs adequate liquid to cook.

Once the pasta is cooked, remove from the heat. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Add the parsley.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice to taste and some crusty bread.

Buy your copy of Sweet Greek Life from all good bookshops and online.

Sweet Greek Life on Booktopia here: https://www.booktopia.com.au/sweet-greek-life-kathy-tsaples/book/9781922129932.html

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