Showing posts with label braised. Show all posts
Showing posts with label braised. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Pomegranate Braised Lamb Shoulder – “Seasoned” Perfectly
This pomegranate braised lamb shoulder is about as seasonally appropriate as it gets, and one of the best things I’ve tasted in a long time. Actually, that’s not technically true, since I ate this same dish at the neighborhood restaurant I stole the idea from last week.
The place is called, Bar Bambino, and if you’re ever in San Francisco, you should give it a try. Anyway, I was so impressed by the combination of fall flavors, colors and textures that I decided to replicate it here. I think it’s a gorgeous plate of food, and all modesty aside, it tastes even better than it looks.
As I joke about in the video, braised lamb is pretty tough to screw up. Simply cook it until it’s tender, and if it isn’t quite succulent enough, leave it in a bit longer. That’s the reason that shoulder chops work so well, as they have the right amount of fat and connective tissue for the long, slow braise.
By the way, if you don’t have a large skillet with a lid like I used here, simply transfer everything into a Dutch oven before putting it in the oven. In a pinch, you could even do this in a stockpot, on top of the stove, over very low heat.
Anyway, the timing is perfect for this lovely fall meal, especially with the roasted pumpkin I used to dress up the plate. I will show you that simple procedure in a future video soon. In the meantime, I really hope you give this a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 servings:
3 lbs thick-cut lamb shoulder chops (of course this would work with shanks as well)
salt and pepper to taste
vegetable oil as needed
1 sliced onion
4 cloves sliced garlic
2 cups pomegranate juice
1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
8 whole mint leaves, plus more to garnish
1/4 tsp hot chili flakes
1 tbsp honey, or to taste
1 tbsp freshly sliced mint leaves
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp Pomegranate “jewels”
View the complete recipe
View the complete recipe
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Jinx Proof Braised Lamb Shanks – Theres NO Way You Can Mess These Up
I dont want to put too much pressure on you, but youre going to have to try really hard to screw up this great tasting lamb shanks recipe.Lamb shanks are one of the most foolproof meat choices out there, and when you braise it, you have about as close to a sure thing, as there is.
After a long, slow roast in an aromatic, deeply flavored broth, these shanks are sure to get rave reviews. In fact, you culinarily challenged may want to give this a go for Valentines dinner. The risk/reward ratio is very good.
The long, slow cooking technique works perfectly with your plans to mesmerize your date with a few hours of witty and romantic conversation before dinner. Im sure that will be great, but maybe have the Wii out just in case. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
6 lamb shanks, about 5 1/2 pounds
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 tablespoon flour
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup drinkable red wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 cup water
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Braised Scotch Lamb Shanks in Red Wine
I was invited to a cookery demonstration for the Wham Bam Thank You Lamb campaign being run by Scotch Lamb at the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School. I was absolutely gutted to have to withdraw at the last minute as I was ill with bronchitis. However, I am delighted to tell you that I am still able to take part, as I was provided with voucher to buy some lamb at a local butcher who was a member of the Scotch Butchers Club, in my case this was J.B Houston in Dumfries.
I had a lovely chat with the butcher who recommended that I cook these lamb shanks with some red wine, he definitely knew what he was talking about, as the flavours of the lamb and the gravy were superb. My top tip when cooking lamb? Ask your butcher!
Lamb Shanks in Red Wine
1 tbsp olive oil
2 lamb shanks
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
a sprig of rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp tomato puree
350ml red wine
200ml lamb stock
1. Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Heat the oil in a casserole dish or roasting tin and brown the lamb shanks.
3. Remove the lamb, turn the heat down a little and add the onion, carrot and garlic and cook for about 8 minutes until beginning to soften and brown slightly.
4. Add the rosemary and bay leaves and cook for another minute.
5. Add the flour and tomato puree, then pour in the wine and stock, stirring all the time to blend.
6. Put the lamb shanks back into the dish, cover and place in the oven for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until the lamb is tender.
7. Remove the lamb from the dish, let it cool slightly and then strip the meat from the bones.
9. Serve with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.
This is a slow cooked dish but if you are in a hurry, there are loads of great quick cook recipes on the Wham Bam Thank you Lamb website some of them cook in 10 minutes!
Many thanks to Scotch Lamb for the opportunity to cook with such a premium product, I was notpaid for this post and all opinions are my own.
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