Culinary Disasters

Sorry I have been slacking on the updates and Merry Christmas to everyone.  Been a hectic time of year with trying to finish up projects at work that by the time I get home I barely have enough energy to make a sandwich yet alone cook a full meal.  Plus oh yeah Christmas shopping is enough to make someone want to scream. 

Great weekend afternoon dish because to be there is nothing like taking a crappy cut of meat browning it in some hot fat and then slowly cooking it in a flavorful liquid.  This is why I love braising. 

 For this dish you are going to need:

• lamb shank
• 1 onion sliced thinly
• 2 carrots medium dice
• 2 stalks of celery medium dice
• 3 cloves of garlic diced fine
• 1 stalk of rosemary
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• 1 cup red wine (I used a cab)
• 1 cup of beef stock
• Slurry of 2 tb of cornstarch dissolved in 2tb of water
• Unsalted butter
• Extra light olive oil
• Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  Melt the TB of butter with a TB of the olive oil in an oven safe that has a tight fitting lid (I like to once again turn to my trusty 6 quart saute pan) over medium heat (p.s. I am hoping that this goes without saying but even though the pan has a lid do not have it one while browning).  Salt and pepper the lamb shank all over and cook till brown all over (about 5 minutes a side).  Once browned remove from pan and set aside.  Note: If you are doing more than one do not crowd the pan this will just cause the meat to steam.  Take your time and do them in batches.

Add in the onion, celery, and carrots and cook till soft (about 8 minutes) with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add in the wine and bring to a boil.  Reduce by 1/2 (about 5 minutes).

Add in the stock, rosemary, thyme, red pepper, and lamb shanks to the pan.  Bring to a boil, cover, and place in the oven till it is falling off the bone (about 2.5-3 hours).  Flip the meat once after 1.5 hours of braising.

Once the lamb shank is cooked remove it from the oven and set the shank aside.  Strain the sauce into a saucepan and discard all the solids.  The reason why we want to discard the solids is because after a couple of hours the vegetables have turned to the texture of baby food and have given all their flavor to the sauce. 

Put the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.  Wisk in the slurry and return to a boil.  This will let you know how thick the sauce is.  If you want the sauce thicker dissolve another TB of cornstarch in another TB of water in a glass.  Do not just add the cornstarch directly to the sauce or you will end up with a clumpy nasty mess.  Turn off the heat to the pan when the correct thickness has been reached.  Taste the sauce and adjust any seasoning.

Serve and enjoy with the sauce drizzled over top of the lamb shank.  I served mine with a simple couscous that consisted of a shallot cooked in butter for a couple of minutes, 1/2 cup of white wine reduced by 1/2, and a cup of chicken stock.

Tags: lamb, All //