Cooked gently over a low heat, lamb shank becomes meltingly tender—perfect for an elegant, restorative broth.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 6

　　1 lamb shank, about 1lb (500g)

　　1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks

　　1 turnip, peeled and cut into chunks

　　1 onion, peeled and cut into chunks

　　2 garlic cloves

　　1 bay leaf

　　1 sprig of thyme

　　8 1/2 cups (3 1/2 pints/2 liters) water

　　4 tsp sea salt

　　

To serve

1 cucumber, cut into thin strands or "spaghetti" (see note)

　　plain (natural) yogurt

　　a few sprigs of mint

　　black pepper

　　

Step 1

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 3—4 minutes and skim off the froth that forms on the surface, then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 1 1/2—2 hours, until the lamb is tender and almost falling off the bone, then remove from the heat.

　　

Step 2

Remove the shank from the stock, then pass the stock through a fine strainer or sieve into a clean saucepan (discard the vegetables) and keep hot. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Shred the lamb meat from the bone.

　　

Step 3

To serve, divide the shredded lamb meat among 6 soup bowls. Gather the cucumber strips into 6 bundles and add one to each bowl, then pour over the hot stock and add a tablespoon of yogurt. Finish with a few mint sprigs and a grinding of black pepper. Serve immediately.

　　Cucumber "Spaghetti"

　　For an extra decorative effect, serve this soup topped with "spaghetti": use the comb blade on a mandolin or cut the cucumber into ribbons and then slice them into thin strips using a very sharp knife.

　　Reprinted with permission from Le Pain Quotidien Cookbook: Delicious Recipes from Le Pain Quotidien by Alain Coumont. Copyright © Octopus Publishing Group Ltd 2013; text copyright © PQ LicensingSA and Creative CommunicationSCRL 2013; photographs copyright © Creative CommunicationSCRL 2013. Published by Mitchell Beazley, an imprint of Octopus Publishing Group Ltd.