I probably should be ashamed to admit it, but my only experience with lamb shanks has been limited to a single old Irish recipe. How about you?
In that case, I’m here to tell you we can immediately change this sorry state of affairs with a new recipe I discovered in my copy of "Cook With Hook," the 2004 edition of Redhook Brewery’s favorite recipes.
And not only am I taken — extremely taken — with the idea of lamb getting cozy with onion, garlic, olives and beer, if I’d had any doubts, the final line of the recipe would have made them evaporate. "Serve cold with squares of cooked polenta, mashed potatoes or beer biscuits," it says.
The polenta doesn’t necessarily do it for me, but the mashed potatoes or biscuits sure do. So. You’re on your own with the polenta, but everybody knows how to make mashed potatoes, and the biscuits happen to be a can-do we all can do at the last gasp, just as the lamb is about ready.
Let’s not wait to try this "beery" good pair of recipes for:
Braised lamb shanks with olives
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1 1/3 pounds lamb shanks
Pepper to taste
1medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
14small whole garlic cloves
1/2cup finely diced carrots
1/2cup finely diced celery
1cup beer
1sprig thyme
1bay leaf
1/2cup Kalamata or other black olives, pitted if possible
Squares of cooked polenta, mashed potatoes or beer biscuits
Heat the oil in a heavy flameproof casserole. Season the lamb shanks with pepper and brown them well on all sides. Remove shanks and set aside. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery to the casserole and cook over medium heat until they are lightly browned. Return the lamb shanks to the casserole, add the beer, herbs and olives, cover, and cook at a gentle simmer until the lamb is quite tender, about 2 hours.
Remove the lamb and vegetables to a serving dish with a slotted spoon. Discard the herbs. Place the pot off center over medium-high heat and bring the sauce to a boil. Skim off the fat that collects on the other side of the pot. When the sauce is sufficiently skimmed, taste it for seasoning and correct if necessary. Pour the sauce over the lamb and serve it with squares of cooked polenta, mashed potatoes or beer biscuits.
Makes 2 to 3 servings.
Beer biscuits
2cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2teaspoons baking powder
3/4teaspoon salt
3tablespoons butter, well chilled
3tablespoons vegetable shortening, well chilled
2/3cup flat (room temperature) beer
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly in a medium bowl. Cut the butter and shortening into small pieces and add them. With a pastry blender, two table knives, an electric mixer, or by rubbing the mixture together with your fingertips, blend the flour and fat until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Make a well in the center and pour in the beer. Stir just until the mixture is evenly moistened, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead just until the dough comes together, about 30 seconds. Roll it out with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Cut out biscuits with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter (a wine glass works well) dipped in flour. Push straight down with the cutter and wiggle rather than twisting it to loosen the biscuits. You should get 8 or 9 biscuits out of the first rolling of the dough.
Lift away the trimmings and transfer the biscuits to an ungreased baking sheet. Gently press the trimmings together, overlapping them slightly, and roll the dough out again 1/2 inch thick; cut the remaining biscuits. Discard the trimmings. Bake the biscuits until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.
Makes 1 dozen 2 1/2-inch biscuits.
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s Time Out section.
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