Braised Lamb Shanks in Red Wine

 

2 lamb shanks

1 large Spanish onion

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

2 large carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 medium potatoes, halved

1-28 oz. canned diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon chopped, minced garlic

1 pinch crushed red pepper

2 teaspoons black pepper

4 bay leaves, whole

1 tablespoon rosemary

1 tablespoon marjoram

1 teaspoon sage

1 teaspoon thyme

1/4 bottle dry red wine (burgundy) 

1/2 cup robust home-made stock

salt

olive oil

In a handle-less crock pot equipped with lid, put cut up carrots, chopped onion, potatoes-halved, bay leaves in a cloth bag, the diced tomatoes, celery-finely chopped, and the wine, and 1/2 cup stock.

Rub the shanks in the marjoram, both peppers, salt, sage, thyme, rosemary, garlic very well.  Retain spices. 

 

Sear the lamb sharks until they're a good color, turn them, as they brown.

 

Put browned meat in crock pot. Pot crock pot

Braising Cuts of Meat

 

 

Braising is one of my favorite ways to cook which involves long, slow, moist heat. The
method renders tough meat tender. Additionally, this is a way of stretching the food
dollar. The cheaper cuts are often those that require some talent of the chef to make good
fare.

To braise means to cook food very slowly in liquid in a covered container. Success means
to use lower temperatures and longer times. You can braise on top of the stove but I
prefer to braise in a slow, 250° oven. Its all-over heat gives a deeper, richer flavor and
even cooking. Since the heat surround the cooking vessel, cooking this way will not burn
the meat and stirring is never required. If stovetop, make sure to use a Dutch Oven with
an especially thick bottom to insure a spread of the heat, else a hot spot could occur that
can burn. Don't drown the food in liquid but use enough to cook in a moist environment.
You can braise nearly anything including vegetables such as endive, leeks, and radicchio.
The cooking liquid can be water, wine, stock, Scotch, Bourbon or a combination of these
The way to achieve intensely flavored meat is through caramelization of ingredients.
Brown the meat to be braised all over, then brown the aromatic vegetables as well and
use a rich stock and red wine as the braising liquids. In spring, caramelize the vegetables
for less time and use a white wine.

The best cuts of meat for braising are lean, tough cuts such as shanks. Don’t drown the
meat else that would be boiling. Check for doneness with a fork. When the meat is done, it will pull away from the bone with no resistance. Let the braised meat cool in the braising liquid. As meat cooks, it relaxes and releases its juices. If it remains in the braising liquid as it cools, the juices will stay in the meat.

 

Note: A Dutch Oven does not have wooden or plastic handles, so it is ideally suited to go
in the oven.

Beef Soup with Noodles or Barley

Starter Stock

5 pounds beef neck bones, sawn into small chunks
1 ten inch section of beef marrow bone, sawn in half length wise then
cross cut
Two pigs feet, cut into eights
1 white onion, quartered
2 celery stalks, quartered
2 carrots, quartered
4 bay leaves
Teaspoon pepper corns
2 quarts of water
1 bottle of white wine
2 garlic gloves

Place meat chunks, marrow bones, pigs feet, onions, celery, and carrots in a

shallow roast pan and place under a broiler on high. Turn the ingredient

every 4-5 minutes until the meat and vegetables have browned.

 

Empty the meat and vegetables into a tall stock pot, cover with wine, water,

adding pepper corns, bay leaves, and garlic cloves. Cover and simmer for

three hours. Remove the lid, and cook another 2 hours, allowing some of the

liquid to reduce. Allow stock to cool. When cool, strain off and retain the

liquid. Place solids in a strainer and place strainer over a bowl to catch and

liquid. Sort through the solids. Retain the meat, cartilage pieces, small

chunks of bones that any meat still cling to. Discard all the vegetables, bay

leaves, celery, carrots and garlic. Pour the catch liquid in with the other soup

stock. Add the meat back to the soup and refrigerate over night or until the

solidified excess fat can be collected from the top of the stock.

 

Finish the soup. Bring the stock to a boil and add:
1 cup chopped peeled carrots
1 cup of very finely chopped celery
1 finely chopped tomato
10 ounces of uncooked wide noodles or barley
1 clove chopped garlic
1 pinch of thyme
1 pinch of sage
¼ cup sherry
Cook the noodle until tender adding a little water in necessary.
Correct the seasoning with sea salt.