Anyone who has had the opportunity to eat out in Dublin pubs over the last couple of years will see just how much the quality of food on offer has grown. There are now dishes available in Dublin pubs which are as delicious and as beautifully prepared as any meal on offer in the city. Dublin pubs are using the highest quality ingredients to produce vibrant dishes to reflect the palate of modern Dublin. In this series the Licensed Vintners Association is sharing a small selection of these amazing meals. Just a taster of the great food you can find in pubs throughout Dublin. #DubPubDishes

About the dish

Delicious and juicy, the Red Cow’s slow-cooked lamb shank is served with warm flavoured spiced couscous and is an ideal ‘comfort food’ to warm the cockles on a cold winters day. Slow-cooked for 4 hours in red wine and tomato purée, the tender lamb shank is served on a bed of Moroccan style couscous with plenty of mouth-watering braising juices.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

4 lamb shanks

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

400g (14oz) red onions, peeled and cut into wedges through the core

100g (3½oz) celery, trimmed and cut at an angle into 1cm (½in) chunks

8 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons chopped sage

250ml (9fl oz) red wine

500ml (18fl oz) light lamb or chicken stock

1 tablespoon tomato purée

Cooking method

• Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F), Gas mark 2.
• Trim some fat from the shanks and render it over a medium heat in a pot big enough to take the four shanks. Season the shanks with salt and pepper.
• Turn the heat up to high and fry the lamb shanks in the pot until golden on all sides. You might need to brown them two at a time. Remove the shanks, leaving any fat behind, then fry the onions, celery and garlic for a few minutes and season again.
• Return the shanks to the pot with the sage, red wine, stock and tomato purée. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 4 hours until the meat is succulent and almost falling off the bone.
• Serve on a bed of Moroccan couscous with the braising juices.

Lamb Shank by Brian McCarthy,  executive head chef at Tom’s Table Restaurant in the Red Cow Moran Hotel.  

Tom’s Table Restaurant at the Red Cow Moran Hotel

Tom’s Table Restaurant “where great food and great company go hand in hand” offers delicious local and seasonal produce in a bright, warm and atmospheric setting. The centrepiece is a family kitchen table and this sets the tone for the whole restaurant. It’s all about conversation, family values, laughter, good food, setting the world to rights and just great fun.