Braised Lamb Shanks with Lentils and Curry

Although I love the flavor of curry powder, I find that it tends to overpower dishes.  I have made a number of recipes that use curry powder as the central flavoring component, and they all have tasted about the same regardless what other ingredients are used in the recipe.  My past results have made me avoid recipes with curry powder; what's the point of stressing over a new recipe if it will taste just like another one you have made before?

Fortunately, I let my prior experiences with Molly Stevens' recipes outweigh my experiences with curry powder and tried her recipe for Braised Lamb Shanks with Lentils and Curry from All About Braising.  In this braise, the curry powder is noticeable, but plays a supporting role to the aromatics, lamb broth, and tomatoes that make up the slightly spicy braising liquid; a good baguette is a necessity for sopping up the last few spoonfuls of the liquid.  Lentils are a natural accompaniment to lamb and this dish is no exception.  Lamb, lentils, and a crunchy baguette and you have yourself perfection in a bowl. 

Lamb Shanks Braised with Lentils & Curry
Adapted from All About Braising 

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 6 lamb shanks
• salt and pepper
• 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp Madras curry powder
• 1 tbsp plus 1/2 tbsp thyme leaves, chopped 
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 2 cups lamb stock
• 1/2 lb French lentils
• 1/4 cup parsley leaves, chopped
• lemon wedges or red wine vinegar for serving

Directions:
Heat the oven to 300F.
Dry the lamb shanks with a paper towel and season them with salt and pepper. 
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large braising dish.  Add as many lamb shanks as will comfortably fit in the pan and cook until well browned on all sides, about 12 minutes.  Set the shanks on a plate and brown the remaining batches.
Discard all but 2 tbsp of fat from the braising dish.  Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. 
Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the garlic.  Cook for 2 minutes.
Add the curry powder, 1 tbsp of the thyme, and 1 bay leaf.  Cook for 1 minute.
Stir in the tomatoes and stock.  Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil.  Let the liquid boil for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon a few times to dislodge the brown bits that stick to the bottom of the pan.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and nestle in the lamb shanks.  Let the liquid return to a simmer then cover the braising dish and add it to the oven.  Braise for 2.5 hours, flipping the lamb shanks once as they cook.  
Meanwhile, parcook the lentils while the lamb cooks.  Add the lentils, 6 cups of water,  a 1/2 tbsp of thyme, and 1 bay leaf to a large pot and bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook the lentils for 30 minutes.  Drain the lentils and set them aside to cool on a large plate.
Once the lamb shanks have braised for 2.5 hours, remove the braising dish from the oven.  Set the lamb shanks on a plate.  Stir the lentils into the braising liquid and add the lamb shanks back to the braising dish and cover the dish.  Continue to braise the lamb in the oven until the lamb is falling off the bone and then lentils are tender, approximately 30 minutes.
Remove the lamb shanks from the braising dish and set them on a plate.  Taste the braising liquid for salt and pepper.  Spoon the lentils with the braising liquid into serving bowls and top each bowl with a lamb shank.  Garnish the bowls with the chopped parsley.  Serve immediately, allowing your guests to sprinkle a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice over their bowl if desired.

Braised Leek and Bacon Tart

This tart definitely ranks among the best dishes I have ever cooked. The tart recipe, along with the braised leeks that went into it, is from Molly Stevens' All About Braising. Having never made a pie crust before, I was worried how well the shell would hold up, but Stevens' instructions worked perfectly. Due to my own clumsiness, it was not the best looking crust, but it was just as flaky and flavorful as any I've had. While I used leftover braised leeks from one of Stevens' recipes, any cooked leeks should work just as well.

Braised Leek and Bacon Tart
from Molly Stevens' All About Braising


For the shell:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 1/2 tbsp butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 to 4 tbsp cold water
• 1/2 tsp salt
  

For the filling:

• 4 braised leeks, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 2 tbsp braising liquid from the leeks
  
• 3 slick slices bacon, minced and sautéed until slightly crispy
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup creme fraiche
• 2/3 cups half and half
  
• 3/4 cup Gruyere cheese
• 1 tsp thyme leaves, minced
• ground nutmeg
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. To make the shell, combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and stir to coat with flour. With a fork, press the butter pieces into the flour until the butter is in small, flour-coated bits. Add 3 tbsp of water and stir the mixture. Continue adding drops of water until the dough can hold together. With your hands, form the dough into a 2-inch thick disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to two days.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 13-inch circle. Drape the dough over a 10-inch tart pan. Press it into the sides and corners of the pan, pressing from the center of the crust so that the sides are slightly thicker than the base. Cut away the excess dough that falls over the sides of the pan. Refrigerate the crust for another hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 375F. Cover the crust in foil and weigh it down with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes.
4. Remove the foil from the crust and continue to bake until it is golden in color, approximately 10 minutes. Remove the tart pan from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Reduce the oven heat to 350F.
5. To make the filling, whisk together the eggs and creme fraiche until they are well blended. Add the cream, thyme, nutmeg, braising liquid, salt, and pepper and stir well to combine.
6. Place the leeks in the tart shell. Top the leeks with the bacon pieces, then the cheese. Pour the egg mixture over the leeks.
7. Bake the tart until the filling is set and the top is browned, approximately 40 minutes. The tart can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Braised Pork Shoulder with Cardamom & Ginger

Cooking can be at its most fun when you don't give a damn. It can also be at its most educational. With a good combination of ingredients and good technique, a recipe doesn't need to offer any more than a little inspiration. This pork dish was inspired by a recipe I came across in Molly Stevens' All About Braising, while looking for ways to cook a pork shoulder roast I had purchased at Whole Foods. Stevens' recipe called for dried apricots to be added to the sauce, but being the lazy Sunday that it was, I decided against a second trip to the store to purchase apricots. Eventually, my straying from Stevens' recipe turned into all-out rebellion. It's a very loose interpretation of the original recipe, but it worked and I had fun preparing it.

Braised Pork Shoulder with Cardamom & Ginger
Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 5 lb boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed and tied with butcher's twine into a neat log
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1.4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp brandy
• 1/2 cup dry vermouth
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, minced

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300F.
2. Pat the pork dry with paper towels and generously season it with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oil in a dutch over over medium heat. Add the pork and cook until well browned on all sides, approximately 20 minutes. Remove the pork to a plate.
4. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of fat from the pan. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and cardamom, turmeric, and cayenne and cook until the vegetables soften and the spices are fragrant, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the ginger and bay leaf to the pan and cook for another two minutes.
6. Pour in the brandy and stir with a wooden spoon to stir up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Boil until the brandy is reduced by half, about 1 minute.
7. Add the vermouth to the pan and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes.
8. Stir in the stock and bring to a slow simmer.
9. Add the pork to the dutch oven. Baste the pork with the braising liquid and cover the dutch oven. Place in the oven. Every 30 minutes, turn the pork and baste it with the braising liquid. Cook until the pork is very tender, approximately 2 hours.
10. Remove the pork from the dutch oven and let it rest on a plate for at ten minutes. Meanwhile, keep the braising liquid at a simmer. The liquid should not be thick, but if it appears too watery, boil it for a few minutes until it reaches its desired consistency. Taste it for salt and pepper.
    
11. Serve the pork with the braising liquid spooned on top and garnished with the cilantro.

Braised Tuna with Radicchio, Chickpeas, and Rosemary

The other day, I made Braised Tuna with Radicchio, Chickpeas, and Rosemary from Molly Stevens' wonderful All About Braising. Braising may sound like a terrible way to cook a nice piece of tuna, but the recipe works beautifully. The key is to keep the braising liquid at the gentlest of simmers, cooking the tuna just enough so that it remains pink on the inside. I cooked two 1.25 inch thick steaks for 8 minutes. The braising liquid is infused with the strong flavors of rosemary and radicchio, and the chickpeas lend the dish additional heartiness. This is an easy one pot meal, with the only necessary accompaniment being a baguette to soak up the delicious sauce.

Veal Ricotta Polpottone

Veal ricotta meatballs from Molly Stevens' All About Braising, served with roasted fingerling potatoes:

Braised Pork Chops and Cabbage

Last night, I made this simple recipe for braised pork chops with cabbage from Molly Stevens' All About Braising. Cabbage goes extremely well with pork dishes, and this one is no exception.

Braised Pork Chops and Cabbage
Serves two

Ingredients:

• 2 thick bone-in pork chops
• Salt and pepper
• Flour, for dredging
• 2 Tb olive oil
• 2 Tb butter
• 1 tsp. celery seeds
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1/2 head of green cabbage, leaves sliced into thin strips
  
• 1/2 cup dry vermouth
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 1 Tb. cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Dredge both sides with flour.
2. Heat olive oil in deep skillet over medium high-heat. Add pork chops and cook until brown on both sides, about four minutes per side. Remove pork chops to plate.
3. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard and celery seeds until they begin to pop, about one minute.
4. Add shallots to skillet and cook until soft, a couple of minutes.
5. Add cabbage to skillet and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until cabbage wilts, about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add vermouth and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Add stock and vinegar to skillet and bring to simmer.
7. Add pork chops to skillet and cover. Cook for abouth 20 minutes or until pork is cooked through, turning once.
8. Once pork is cooked, transfer to plate. Add cream to skillet and bring to a slow boil. Cook until cabbage is creamy, about 5 minutes. Spoon cabbage over pork chops and serve.

Chicken Adobado

Tonight's dinner was Chicken Adobado from Molly Stevens' All About Braising. It's so simple: your marinade about 10 chicken thighs marinated for an hour in a mixture of a half cup each of water and white vinegar, zest from two limes, a large splash of soy sauce, two teaspoons of brown sugar, two bay leaves, and salt and pepper. Then you cook the chicken in a covered skillet for about 45 minutes, flipping the thighs occasionally. Finally, you brown the chicken in a second skillet while reducing the braising liquid in the original skillet. You add the chicken back to the sauce and serve it over rice with a simple salsa of chopped tomato, chopped onion, lime juice, and cilantro. My camera battery died, so the only evidence of the deliciousness that ensued is this iPhone photo:

Molly Stevens’ Sausages and Plums Braised in Red Wine

To celebrate my girlfriend’s long-awaited move to New York, I found this recipe from Molly Stevens’ All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking. I braised sausages and plums in red wine, and like every other recipe I have tried from the cookbook, it did not let me down. It was a very simple braise that filled my apartment with aromas of sweet italian sausage, sage, and red wine. The recipe can be found here.