Torn pasta with braised lamb shank, cherry tomatoes and burrata mozzarella

By Nikki and Jordan Shearer

Featured in Capital #42
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This dish takes all the comfort flavours and textures of winter, but we have given it a fresh facelift. The lamb shanks can easily be replaced with beef short ribs or beef cheeks, if you prefer.

There are quite a few components to this dish and the braised lamb shank does take a while, but it is sure to impress, and it is a firm favourite at our winter dinner parties.

If you have never made pasta before then you really must give it a try… it looks harder than it actually is. Pasta machines are not expensive and once you have the knack of feeding the dough through you will be a convert. There is no comparison between the texture of freshly made pasta and store-bought, especially when free-range eggs are used.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 lamb shanks
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves
4 sticks celery, sliced
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock
1 tin cherry tomatoes
2 Tbsp tomato paste

Pasta
200g 00 flour
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg

To Serve
3 fresh cherry tomatoes per person
1 red onion, peeled and quartered
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 golden kumara, peeled and shaved
into thin ribbons
¼ cup oil
1 punnet burrata mozzarella, torn
just before serving
8–10 fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp balsamic crema

Method

1. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in pan. Brown lamb shanks, remove and set aside in a good heavy, lidded casserole dish.
2. Sauté the onions, garlic and celery for 3–5mins in pan. Deglaze the pan with the wine, then transfer the contents to casserole dish along with the shanks, adding stock, canned tomatoes and tomato paste.
3. Braise the shanks at 180 degrees for 3–4 hours. There should be no need to reduce the cooking liquid at the end, as it will now be thicker and stronger.
4. Put flour in large shallow bowl, make a well in the centre and add the yolks and egg. Stir from the centre outwards, slowly incorporating flour until a rough dough is formed. Knead with hands until smooth. Wrap tightly in cling-wrap and leave to rest in refrigerator for half an hour.
5. Drizzle the tomatoes and onion with balsamic vinegar and 1 Tbsp oil and roast at 180 degrees for 10–15 minutes until tomatoes blister. Set aside.
6. Heat the extra olive oil in a small pan and fry the kumara ribbons until golden. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.
7. Once the lamb shanks are cooked (they should be falling off the bone) remove from casserole dish and shred.
8. Strain the cooking liquid and season to taste.
9. Divide the pasta dough into 4 portions. Roll the portions of pasta through pasta machine and tear into rough squares. Heat a large pot full of salty water. Once it reaches a rolling boil, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain.
10. To serve: Place pasta in between the lamb on plates and spoon over roasted cherry tomatoes and onion. Place small amounts of fresh basil and torn burrata mozzarella around the plate. Spoon over the strained cooking liquid.
11. Top with the crispy kumara and drizzle with balsamic crema.