Braised Lamb Shanks

Hands down this is my favorite dish to make for an big meal. It can go for hours so there is no need to worry about exact timing. Sorry for the lack of a good picture, the last one just didn’t come out. I’ll have to update later.

A friend from work came over last night with her husband. I took the opportunity to do the lamb.

We picked the lamb up last weekend at the Green City Market in Lincoln Park in Chicago. There was a lamb farmer there from Michigan who had beautiful looking organic lamb (Mint Creek Farm).

We had a couple of bottles of great wine with the lamb. The first was called 2003 Worthy Sofia’s Cuvee. It was a gorgeous wine, that really stole the show in my opinion. The second was also a 2003. It was a Estancia Meritage. Perfect for the lamb as well.

The lamb was served over potato pancakes with the braised vegetables on the side. The starter was a mixed green salad using some exotic greens, beets, and carrots from the farm.

This is a luscious, rich dish. It is sweet, sour, spicy, and the meat just melts in your mouth. If you’re looking for a “wow” meal, this is one to add to your list.

Ingredients:
6 lamb shanks
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion
1 large fennel bulb
8 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
4 tomatoes or one can of whole tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 10 oz can garbanzo beans
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup (or so) chicken broth/stock
4 sprigs rosemary
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
salt and pepper to taste

Yields 6 servings

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Set out the lamb shanks for about an hour. Cut the stems off of the tomatoes, place in an oven safe dish. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast in oven for at least 45 minutes.
 

2. While the tomatoes are roasting, start prepping. Slice the vegetables and measure eveything out. Slice the onion, fennel and garlic thin. Mince the ginger.
 

3. Generously salt and pepper the lamb shanks. Add olive oil to the bottom of a large Dutch oven and heat to smoking over high heat. Add the lamb shanks and brown well on one side (about 5 minutes), lower heat to medium, turn the lamb over and brown the other side for about 5 minutes. Remove lamb from the Dutch oven and set aside.
 

4. Add garlic and ginger to the remaining oil and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add onion and fennel. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
 

5. Remove tomatoes from oven. Lower temperature to 250F. Add the tomatoes, beans and remaining ingredients except chicken stock. Heat to a simmer, stir to mix well. Place the lamb in the mixture. Add enough chicken stock to cover the lamb completely. Bring to a boil.
 

6. Cover and place in the oven. Cook for at least 2 hours. Reduce heat to 160 to keep warm until ready to serve. When ready, carefully remove the lamb using tongs. The meat will literally disintegrate. Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables. Plate however you like and enjoy.

9 Day Pickles

These are one of my favorite pickles. They remind me of pickles my uncle Roland made me when I was a kid. They are quite similar to the Lime Pickles in flavor but the technique is very different.

Ingredients:

1 gallon young cucumbers
1 cup salt
2 cups vinegar
1/2 teaspoon powdered alum
4 lbs white sugar
6 cups cider vinegar
1 stick cinnamon
1 tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon whole cloves

Directions:
Day 1: Mix 1 gallon water with 1 cup of salt in a stone crock. Add whole cucumbers to saltwater. Weigh down by covering with a small plate. Cover.

 

Day 2: Let stand
Day 3: Let stand
Day 4: Drain and cover with fresh water
Day 5: Drain and cover with fresh water
Day 6: Drain and cover with fresh water
Day 7: Drain, cut cucumbers into 1/2 inch chunks (or slices or spears). In a large pot, bring pickles, 1 gallon of water, 2 cups vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon alum to a boil. Let stand for 1 hour. Drain. Boil 1 gallon of water and pour over pickles. Transfer to crock, weigh down, cover and let stand.

 

Day 8: Drain pickles. Tie cinnamon, cloves, and allspice in cheesecloth. Boil spices with 6 cups cider vinegar and 4 lbs white sugar for 3 minutes. Pour spiced mixture over pickles. Weigh down, cover and let stand.

 

Day 9: Pour off syrup into large pot. Bring to boil. Pack pickles into sterilized jars. Pour syrup over pickles. Seal jars (Boil for 11 minutes).

 

These are good to eat right away. Give 3 weeks to fully develop flavor.

Creamy Garlic Chicken Farfalle

I realized, due to reading my own blog, that I have been cooking too many “country” meals. Comfort food.

Time to do something more interesting. Simple Italian food. Nothing too traditional but great Italian inspiration.

This is a seriously rich dish. You’re going to want some simple sorbet after this.

Ingredients:
2 skinless/boneless chicken cut into 1 inch cubes
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
3 slices (about 1/2 cup) of salt pork cut into 1/4 inch “sticks”
1 medium onion sliced thin
1 clove of garlic sliced thin
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup milk
1 clove of garlic sliced thin
2 tbsp chopped rosemary and thyme
1 dash of cayenne powder
2 cups of sliced Swiss Chard (or spinach, kale, or arugula)
1/2 lb of farfalle pasta
1/4 cup salt
1 tbsp “olio picante” (spicy olive oil)

Directions:
1. Cut up and season the chicken and slice the salt pork.
 

2. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add salt pork and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Add onion and 1 clove of garlic and cook for 5 more  minutes stirring occasionally. Transfer pan to oven at 200F to keep warm.
 

3. Heat a large pot of water to a boil.

4. In a large sauce pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter and melt over medium low heat. Add flour and stir. Stir occasionally for 15 minutes. 
 

5. Add herbs, garlic, cream, milk and cayenne pepper.
 

6. Bring cream mixture to a simmer over med heat, reduce to low and whisk frequently until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Keep warm.

7. While cream is simmering, add salt to water. Stir to mix then add pasta. Boil for appoximately until “al dente”. Drain and add olive oil. Transfer back to pot.

8. Slice Swiss chard and add to pasta. Cook over low heat stirring frequently for about 1 minute.
 

9. Add cream to pasta mixture. Be careful not to add too much.

10. Transfer pasta to a plate. Top pasta with chicken and onion mixture. Serve immediately. 
 

Wine Pairing
2002 Flourish Cabernet Sauvignon

I Love Pork

I love pork. I love pork in all its forms. Bacon is quite possibly God’s greatest gift to gastronomy. I feel bad for those unable to eat pork due to religious reasons. They are really missing out on one of the most robust and beautiful flavors out there.

If you want to have a fun food adventure, you should try different forms of pork in all its glory.

Pork Chops
I’m talking the real deal, not over-cooked over-lean cardboard you get at most restaurants. I’m talking thick chops, cooked to medium with a healthy layer of fat charred to a crisp. This is a thing of beauty. It is unfortunate that in most areas of the country, the fear of Trichinosis is so high that all pork is over-cooked shadows of what it could be.

Ham and Bacon
Again, I am talking real ham. Not the city ham, water soaked salty mess. Instead, I am talking country ham. In Kentucky and Virginia in the US, country ham is a true art. We have spent time in Parma, Italy and various parts of Spain. In these countries Prosciutto and Serrano are religions. The combination of salt, sweet, and creamy is unbelievable.

I am thinking of making my own bacon and ham this year. It is the first time that I have lived somewhere cold enough as an adult. I don’t know anyone who does this now. It is a lost art. It is time to take it back. I have no idea what I am doing, so it will be an adventure.

Pig’s feet
Two of the best food surprises I have ever had have been pig’s feet.

The first time was rather fun. We were at a Vietnamese pho restaurant. Pho is a wonderful soup. Essentially it is a broth with either noodles or rice as a base. You then add fresh herbs and bean sprouts along with chili sauce to bring out the full flavor. It is a bit of soup perfection. The major variation is the protein. It can be literally anything.

The beauty of the story is the fact that I have never gotten what I ordered at this particular restaurant. We both ordered chicken pho. When the order came in we had two very different things. Not sure what either was, but they were different. One had a yellow tint (we assumed chicken) the other was a shade of gray.

We asked the waiter what we had. The reply, “soup”. ” What kind” we asked…”rice” they replied. No kidding…Next up was the owner. Finally got an answer, “pork”. “What type of pork” we asked since we couldn’t place all of the floating parts. Then we got the answer we wanted, “everything”. Heart, tongue, knee tendon, etc. Sounds interesting if you are adventurous. The resulting flavors were incredible. The richness of the broth along with the flavors of the herbs was unbelievable. I would never have ordered this way back then. I only got it because I got the wrong order. This mix up really help change my view of food.

The second pleasant surprise was at Radius in Boston. Pied de cochon, pig trotters, by any other name pig’s feet. Radius is one of the best restaurants in the US. The place is amazing. Really one of the best meals I have ever had, maybe the best. I was not expecting one of the main courses to be pig’s feet or trotters. They were braised and literally falling off the bone. The cartilage and fat had been reduced and gelatinized. The dish was a thing of beauty.

I never expected pig’s feet to be as good as they are. But what was I expecting, it is pork after all.

Crazy Food

I consider myself a bit of a foodie. We’ve eaten at some of the best restaurants in the U.S. Two of the most impressive were The French Laundry and Alinea.

The common thread here is their unbelievable experimentation. The chefs have spawned legions of followers. Some have been kind enough to share their experiences. They blog religiously.

Two that are worth mentioning:

French Laundry at Home
This home cook, Carol, is working her way through the French Laundry Cookbook. This sounds easy enough unless you’ve seen the book. I have this book and it is daunting. I love cooking crazy meals. Long, hard, complicated ordeals. But I haven’t taken the plunge into these recipes yet. It takes gusto and commitment.

She’s made it a long way through the book. She deserves major kudos. I hope she takes it to the next level and goes pro.

Hungry in Hogtown
This guy is amazing. After reading the post I linked to, go to the left and go to the link called Molecular Gastronomy. This food is more in line with Alinea. Many of the recipes are total science experiments.  This whole style of food was pioneered by el Bulli. The author of this blog has really gone all out to figure this out. He is becoming famous for his efforts, having been covered in Canada’s national newspaper. If your looking for a way to make science cool for kids, read his blog.