Lamb shank ragù with gnocchi

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Show dad your love and care this Father's Day with an impressive lunch and great wine to match. Seriously Old Dirt by Vilafonté has tasting notes of fresh plum, black raspberry, mulberry and ripe strawberry. These fruits are beautifully intertwined with subtle spicy notes of shaved nutmeg and dried sage. The fruity, spicy notes will pair wonderfully with rich, slow-cooked, tender lamb ragu.

Ingredients

2 lamb shanks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 T olive oil
4 baby onions, halved and peeled
2 medium carrots, finely diced
3 sticks celery
2 sprigs rosemary
5 bay leaves
1 T garlic
¾ cup Vilafonté Seriously Old Dirt red wine
140 g jar Woolworths sundried tomato pasta sauce
4 cups chicken stock
150 g Woolworths pitted Kalamata olives in brine
200 g cherry tomatoes
50 g Grana Padano, grated, plus extra to garnish
2 x 500 g packs Woolworths Italian potato gnocchi, for serving
fried rosemary, for serving

Cooking Instructions

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

Browse our cooking with alcohol recipe guide here.

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).