Lamb shank ragù with gnocchi

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Season the lamb shanks, cover and allow to stand for 1 hour.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof pan over a medium heat. Add the lamb shanks and brown evenly, turning often. Remove from the pan.
3. Add the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary and bay leaves to the same pan. Season with salt. Stir, loosening any bits of lamb, then add the garlic and wine.
4. Cook until most of the wine has reduced, then add the sundried tomato sauce and stock. Return the lamb to the pan and cover with a lid. Roast for 3 hours, or until the lamb falls off the bone.
5. Carefully remove the lamb from the pan and pull apart, keeping the pieces chunky. Set aside the lamb, then return the pan to a medium heat. Add the olives and cherry tomatoes and slowly reduce to make a thicker sauce.
6. Once the sauce has reached the desired thickness, stir in some Grana Padano. Add the pulled lamb and check the seasoning. Cook for a further 5 minutes, then remove from the heat.
7. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil to make the gnocchi. Add the gnocchi in batches, cooking until they float to the surface.
8. Remove the gnocchi from the water using a slotted spoon, then add to the lamb, stirring through the sauce to combine. Serve sprinkled with extra Grana Padano and crispy fried rosemary.
Photography: Jan Ras
Videography: Romy Wilson
Recipes and production: Clem Pedro and Hannah Lewry
Food assistant: Claire van Rooyen
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This Cabernet-Sauvignon-led blend initially greets with a vibrant expression of fruit. Palate entry is smooth, luxuriously coating with a silky texture from the fore-palate, broadening on the mid-palate and finishing with layered richness. A line of fresh acidity adds energy to this medium-bodied wine. Soft, silky tannins are well integrated, allowing immediate enjoyment, while a balanced structure will allow gracious cellaring. Matured for 18 months with French oak. Seriously Old Dirt 2021 consists of Cabernet Sauvignon (88 percent), Malbec (8 percent), Merlot (2 percent) and Cabernet Franc (2 percent).