Here is a an illustrated recipe for lamb shank curry. And here's the situation. Summer is passing quickly away.Those tomatoes that remain have lost their luster. Eggplants are smaller.The yams, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and gourds are so plentiful that they tumble from the wooden stands at the farm stalls along the road. There are more apple varieties than I can keep track of. Yellow, orange and rust red are the colors of the trees and the colors in the stalls.The pumpkins and the apples had a clear and specific purpose: pies!   
But what to do with the lingering eggplants and the newly arrived
potatoes?  What meat would fit with these garden foods?  Chicken? 
Perhaps. But that would lead me in the Italian Parmigiana direction and I
didn'twant to go there. Beef?  No way. Then, I thought of lamb.  Lamb. Even though lamb is really a Spring item lamb was a contender. Now,  
lamb, eggplant and potatoes sent me thinking in two directions.  On one side, Greece and the Near East hinted at possibilities. On the other side, India called out. Now, for some reason, Greece means Summer food to me.
Greek foods are ocean and lemon and fresh green herbs. Greek is outside, in the sun under an umbrella on the terrace. 
But, now it's autumn. It's too chilly to be eating outside. So, as we move into the colder months, I find myself turning to the East, to India and Thailand, Vietnam and China. These foods seem more indoor to me. Perhaps it has something to do with the greater use of spices.  Spices seem more winter
like, more inside the house, even to the simplest addition of cinnamon and
nutmeg to a winter grog or eggnog.  Spices have that warm comfort food feel. For me, Asian cooking isvery much the cooler months.  

OK, so, now it's lamb. But, which cut?  Leg of lamb stands by itself.  It
has no need of other elements. Besides, it goes on the grill and that's Summer or it goes as a roast and that's Easter.There's ground lamb but that goes with moussaka, another out on the terrace Summer dinner.  
That leaves the shank. Lamb shanks.  Roasted lamb shanks are a good bet around Passover so that you can use the bone for the Seder.  But roast is not what I'm looking for. How about a curry? A curried lamb shank could be quite interesting. Long roasted in a low heat like short ribs. Use the Chinese clay pot.Let it go until the meat falls from the bone.
Now, of course, the ingredients that constitute a  lamb shank curry are as varied as there are people who make curries. The spices that  I have set out here are just what seemed right to me at the time. You can add or subtract almost any of the spices according to what you have available or what you like. But, a veryserious word of caution.  If you are going to
prepare spices in the traditional way which requires heating them, you must open every window in your kitchen. The fumes can be lethal. This is not a joke.  Be sure  the windows are opened no matter how cold it is outside.
For a curry of this kind one of the few essential ingredients would be the coconut cream or coconut milk.The liquid is the means to break down the lamb meat. The item of greatest variability is the amount of heat. The recipe I set out here is rather mild. If you want more heat, add however much spice you like with the addition of any variety of spicy chilies.  If you add too much spice, you can bring down the heat by stirring in a few tablespoons of good quality Greek style yogurt. Serve these excellent, fall off the bone, lamb shanks with a nice Basmati rice.  Lamb shank curry!

What you need

Equipment
Wok or good size fry pan.
Chinese clay pot or enamel oven pot with lid  or cast iron pot with lid.
Sharp knife.


 

Ingredients

Vegetable oil.
Lamb shanks: one per person.
Sweet Onion: one large or several
small.
Garlic: several cloves.
Eggplant: one large or several
small.
Potato: two or three of any variety. 
This recipe uses a large white yam.
Coconut Cream or Milk: one can.
Water: one cup or a can full from the
coconut cream.
Fish sauce: 1/4 cup (available at Asian
grocer.)
 Chilies: (optional) add according to
your taste.
Spices: 
These are variable.                 
One teaspoon each of:  
Madras curry powder.
Turmeric.                                 
Cinnamon.
Nutmeg.                                 
Coriander.
Black pepper.                                 
Thai chili powder.
Asafetida (pungent spice available at an Indian grocer.)


 

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