Lamb Shanks with Cilantro Sauce

Ingredients

• 1  aji amarillo pepper seeded coarsely chopped
• 1 extra large baking potato cut into large chunks
• 10.5 ounce beef broth canned
• 1 bunch cilantro leaves coarsely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 4 servings salt and ground pepper black to taste
• 2  lamb shanks 
• 1.5 fluid ounce jigger peruvian pisco liquor 
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 0.5 cup peas frozen
• 0.5  onion red coarsely chopped
• 1 cup riesling wine 

Equipment

• oven
• pot
• blender
• dutch oven

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook and stir red onion, aji pepper, garlic, cumin, salt, and black pepper in hot oil until onion begins to brown, about 10 minutes; transfer cooked onion mixture to a blender and add cilantro, beef broth, and Riesling wine. Blend the mixture into a smooth sauce, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Heat 1 more tablespoon olive oil in same pot over medium heat; brown lamb shanks on all sides in hot oil, about 2 minutes per side.
4. Pour cilantro sauce over lamb shanks and cover with lid.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 2 hours.
6. Add potato chunks to the pot.
7. Pour pisco over lamb and vegetables. Continue baking until lamb is very tender and sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 more hour.
8. Remove from oven and sprinkle peas over the lamb; cover pot to let peas heat through, about 10 minutes.
9. Let lamb shanks cool 15 minutes before serving.