Baked Lamb Shanks

This is another new one for me. I've cooked with lamb in curry and kafta, but I've never worked with lamb shanks before. I'm really loving trying all these new things.

Baked lamb shanks

3 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 oz. cold butter
8 fresh sage leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme, leaves picked
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lamb shanks
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
6 small carrots, finely sliced
1 leek, washed, and finely sliced
olive oil
1-2 cups white wine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pick the leaves of the rosemary, whiz them with the butter, most of the sage and the thyme in a food processor (or mash with a knife) and season with salt and pepper. Using a small knife, take one of the lamb shanks and cut between the meat and the bone from the base of the shank upwards. You want to create a hole big enough to put your finger in, making a sort of pocket. Do this to both shanks and divide the flavored butter between them, pushing it into the pockets. This will give a wonderful flavor to the heart of the shanks.

Tear off two large pieces of aluminum foil. Divide the garlic and vegetables between them, making a pile in the middle of each foil piece. Rub the lamb shanks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then put one on top of each pile of vegetables and a sprig of rosemary and a few sage leaves on the top of that. Carefully pull up the sides of the foil around the shanks and pour a swig of wine into each. Gather the foil around the bone, pinching it together tightly. Place the parcels on a baking pan with the bones facing up. Put in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours.

Mushroom risotto

Well, my food photography skills could really need improvement, but this risotto was awesome. I can't remember what kind of mushrooms I bought at the farmers market, but you can use whatever kind you like.

1 x basic risotto recipe
7 T. butter, plus a little extra
4 large handfuls of wild fresh mushrooms
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 T. freshly picked thyme leaves
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 1/2 cups hot vegetable or chicken stock
1-2 handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
juice of 1 lemon
olive oil

First make your basic risotto recipe, then leave your rice to one side while you prepare the mushrooms. Heat a large frying pan, add a knob of butter to it and when it starts to foam, scatter your mushrooms in with a little seasoning. Toss around and cook for a minute, then add thyme and garlic. Cook for a couple more minutes until mushrooms are tender. Season to taste.

Put a large saucepan on a medium to high heat and pour in half the stock, followed by all your risotto base. Stirring all the time, gently bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Add the cooked mushrooms and cook until almost all the stock has been absorbed. Add the rest of the stock a ladleful at a time until the rice is cooked.

Turn off the heat, beat in the rest of the butter, Parmesan, parsley and lemon juice, then check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

Failed: White fish wrapped in bacon

This was a definite flop. I never cook fish because I whenever I try, it's gross. Maybe it will never compare to fresh Maine fish cooked by my mother. In this case, I think the biggest problem was that the bacon was too thick, so by the time it was cooked, the fish was way over-cooked. My house smelled like fish for a week. Gross. I guess I've got two entire chapters of fish to try and figure it out.

Squash and Sage Risotto

This is my first attempt ever at making risotto. It is another recipe that is kind of labor intensive, requiring a lot of stirring, but it is well worth it. Since making this recipe I've also tried a mushroom risotto, which I loved, but I love this one even more.

I started by roasting a butternut squash. The result could have stood on its own. So delicious and easy, I think I'll make it again without the risotto.

While the squash was roasting I made the risotto base:

The finished product:


Risotto base:

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
4-5 sticks of celery, trimmed and finely chopped
1 lb. 6 oz. Arborio rice
9 oz. white wine

Bring stock to a simmer in a saucepan. Put the olive oil and butter in a separate large pa n and add the onion and celery. Cook very gently for about 15 minutes, without coloring, until soft. Add the rice and turn up the heat. Don't let the rice or vegetables catch on the bottom of the pan, so keep it moving.

Quickly pour in the wine. You will smell the alcohol immediately, so keep stirring all the time until it has evaporated.

Add the stock to the rice a ladle at a time, stirring and waiting until it has been fully absorbed before adding the next. Turn the heat down to low so the rice doesn't cook too quickly. Continue to add ladlefuls of stock until it has all been absorbed. This should take about 15 minutes and give you rice that is beginning to soften but is still al dente

The risotto is now ready for specific recipes:

Squash and Sage Risotto

cinnamon
1 dried red chilli
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium butternut squash, quartered and seeds discarded
olive oil
1 x basic risotto recipe
2 1/2 cups hot vegetable or chicken stock
1 T. cream cheese
7 T. butter
1-2 handfuls freshly grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil
a bunch of fresh sage, leaves picked

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub the squash quarters with cinnamon, finely chopped red chilli, salt, pepper and olive oil. Cook for 45-55 minutes until soft and caramelized. Remove from oven and reserve.

While the squash is cooking, make the basic risotto recipe. Then put a large saucepan on a medium to high heat and pour in half the stock followed by all your risotto base. Scoop the flesh out of the squash skin and break it in. Stirring all the time, gently bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until almost all the stock has been absorbed. Add the rest of the stock a ladleful at a time until the rice is soft and creamy.

Turn off the heat, beat in the cream cheese, butter and Parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a medium-sized frying pan with some olive oil and fry the sage leaves for a minute or two until crispy. Dry on paper towels.

Serve the risotto with the sage leaves on top.

Gnocchi with Cheese Sauce

Making homemade gnocchi is a biggish project, but well worth it. It's the kind of thing I'm a bottomless pit for. There are several different variations in the book, so I'll be trying again soon. One word of advice: do test a gnocchi or two in boiling water to make sure they don't just dissolve before you throw in the whole batch. I lost half my work on the first try. (I hadn't added enough flour.)

A basic gnocchi recipe:

6 medium potatoes
olive oil
1/2 a nutmeg, grated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg yolk
2-3 large handfuls of flour

Rub the potatoes with olive oil and prick with a fork. Bake in a 425 degree oven for one hour. Allow to cool for a couple minutes, then, when they are still hot scoop out the insides into a ricer. When you have smooth mashed potatoes, put into a bowl. Add nutmeg, salt, pepper, egg yolk, and some flour. Knead with your hands until you have a dry doughy consistency. You may need more four.

Once you have the dough roll it out into logs and cut into gnocchi sized pieces. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 10-20 minutes. Boil for 4 minutes in salted water until gnocchi rises to the top of the water.

Cheese sauce

2 Tablespoons soft cheese
3 Tablespoons butter
6 Tablespoons heavy cream
a small bunch of fresh oregano
Parmesan cheese, for grating.

Put cheese, heavy cream and pepper in a pan on very low heat. Stir until smooth.

Apple and Date Salad with Maple Dressing

This is not one of the recipes in the Jamie Oliver cookbook, but it turned out so well that I couldn't resist posting it. I love the combination of sweet dates, tart apples, and best of all- MAPLE SYRUP!

6 dates, pitted and quartered
baby lettuce
an apple, thinly sliced
Parmesan cheese, cut into thin pieces with a vegetable peeler
optional: some soft cheese such as goat cheese or feta

Maple salad dressing (wisk all ingredients together)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
a squeeze of lemon juice
1 tsp. dijon mustard
maple syrup, to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Grilled Fillet Steak with Creamy White beans and Leeks

This may not have been my favorite meal ever, but I did discover that steak tastes pretty good medium rare. I'm glad I tied it. The kids loved it.

2 leeks, washed, trimmed and finely sliced
a small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
1 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
olive oil
a knob of butter
a cup of white wine
one can white lima beans, drained and rinsed
a small handful of freshly picked parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon heavy cream
olive oil
sea salt and ground black pepper
2 well-marbled fillet steaks 1-1 1/2 inches thick
1 lemon

Sweat the leeks, thyme and garlic with a splash of olive oil and the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan on a low heat for 20 minutes until they are soft and sweet. Turn up the heat and add the white wine. Let the wine come to the boil, then add the beans and a splash of water, so that the beans are almost covered. Allow to simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes until the beans are creamy. Add the parsley, cream and olive oil and taste for seasoning.

Heat a griddle pan until white-hot, season your steaks and pat with olive oil. Grill 4-5 minutes on each side until medium-rare. Remove from grill on to a dish and rest for 5 minutes. Squeeze over some lemon juice and drizzle over some olive oil. Carve steaks into thick slices. Serve over the beans.