Do you have one of these at home? Someone for whom dinner isn't unless it contains (what else?) lots of meat. Your Mr. Meat could even be a Ms. Meat -- mom, grandma, sister or aunt . My Mr. Meat's choice is beef. He also likes lamb, game, pork sometimes, but beef is the king of his culinary universe.
Last November I was dreaming of short ribs in a rich sauce, savory lamb shanks, and hearty stews, so I filled my freezer with the appropriate raw material only to be so overbooked with professional cooking that I hardly had time for my own. Between cooking 3 Thanksgiving dinners (only one of them mine), 5 Christmas dinners (only 2 of them mine), 1 cocktail party ( fortunately not mine), and my usual cooking jobs, I felt there was nothing I hadn't cooked, including that partridge in a pear tree. Well, OK , I actually did Cornish hens with pears. All my lovely ideas stayed frozen while I plonked steaks and chicken on the grill for dinner. Peace on Earth descended on December 26, and I cooked out of the freezer for 3 months. Mr. Meat was ecstatic.
The Recipes
Savory Lamb Shanks - serves 4
I have always wanted to like lamb shanks, but never quite got there until I stopped trying to rush them and just let them take their own time. This recipe doesn't have any really strongly flavored ingredients to get in the way of the taste of lamb, which meat lovers appreciate. Chop the vegetables by hand or in a food processor. Processor-chopped veg can get a little watery, so drain in a colander and save any liquid that comes off. It is very important to brown the shanks and the vegetables well so that sauce will have a good rich color and flavor. Bake slowly in the oven until the meat practically falls from the bones. Prepare the dish the day before, and it is even better.
4 lamb shanks, about 12 oz each
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 large celery stalk, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
1 lb cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
2 cups red wine
3 cups lamb or beef broth
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Handful of roughly chopped parsley
Preheat oven to 300 F. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, deep oven proof casserole over high heat. Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper. Add 2 shanks to the casserole. Brown on all sides and remove to a plate. Watch the heat and lower it if the sediment in the casserole begins to blacken. Add two more shanks, brown those and remove them. Lower the heat to medium and add more olive oil, if needed. Add the chopped carrot, celery and onion to the casserole. Brown slowly, stirring constantly until the vegetables caramelize, turning a rich brown. Add the garlic and cook a few minutes. Remove vegetables and garlic. Add the mushrooms and cook over medium heat until lightly browned. Remove them to a separate plate from the lamb shanks and vegetables.
Return the shanks and the vegetables to the casserole. Add the wine, broth, tomatoes and their juice. Add the herbs and bring to the boil. Place in the oven and cook at least 2 hours or until the shanks are fork tender. The shanks may take up to 4 hours to cook. Allow the shanks to cool in their liquid to room temperature and them skim off the fat that has risen to the surface. Refrigerating overnight makes this step easier. Remove the shanks and bring the skimmed sauce to the boil. Simmer until the sauce reduces and thickens. It should lightly coat the back of a spoon. Return the shanks to the sauce and heat through with the mushrooms. Adjust the seasoning. Sprinkle with lots of fresh parsley and serve with pasta, potatoes or polenta.
Raspberry Barbecue Pork - serves 4 - 6
This recipe is a favorite with my personal chef clients. It is a combination of about 4 recipes, so no longer bears a resemblance to any of them. It is such a pretty dish that you could serve it for a special dinner. I've put it on menus for Valentine's dinners, holiday dinners and summer dinners. Rice or orzo makes a good accompaniment, and I love sugar snap peas with this.
6 oz can tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine vinegar or raspberry vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup sugar
Water
2 containers of fresh raspberries
1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
Combine tomato paste, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, about 1/2 cup water and 1 1/2 containers of raspberries in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, partially cover and simmer until the raspberries soften completely.
While the sauce cooks, trim the tenderloin, removing any fat and the silvery tendon. Cut into 1/2-inch thick diagonal slices. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and saute the pork on both sides. Cook in several batches to avoid crowding the pan and so steaming the meat instead of browning it. Return all the pork to the pan and add the chicken broth and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes or until pork is tender.
Pour the cooking liquid from the pork into the sauce and bring to the boil. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Puree in a food processor until smooth. To serve, reheat the pork in the sauce and adjust the seasoning. Gently fold in the remaining raspberries.
Orange Braised Short Ribs with Pearl Onions - serves 4 - 6
I just returned from a trip to Santa Fe, where I saw short ribs on the menu as an appetizer. I wished the idea had appealed to me, but I wasn't in the mood for that much adventure. I think I prefer my short ribs as a main course. Use bone-in short ribs or boneless ones as you like. Bones will give the sauce extra flavor and have a thickening power of their own. If you can't be bothered to peel the onions, use the frozen kind, but don't add them until the meat is almost done. To make peeling raw onions easier, drop them into boiling water for a few minutes, then into cold water. The peels should come right off.
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb pearl onions, peeled and left whole
3 lbs short ribs on the bone (for boneless ribs, allow 2 per person)
Flour mixed with a good pinch of salt and pepper
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
1 cup red wine
1 3/4 cup beef broth
Bay leaf
Sprig of thyme
2 or 3 parsley stems
1/3 cup orange marmalade
Chopped parsley
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, deep oven proof casserole. Add the peeled onions and saute over moderate heat until golden brown, turning frequently. Remove and set aside. Toss the short ribs in the flour mixture to coat lightly. Add more oil to the pan as needed and brown the short ribs over fairly high heat on all sides. Do this in batches. Place all browned ribs in the casserole and add the carrot and celery. Pour over the wine and broth and add the bay leaf, thyme and parsley stems. Stir in 2 tablespoons of marmalade. Bring to the boil, then simmer, covered for about 2 - 3 hours.
After about 1 hour, add the onions. If using frozen onions, wait until 30 minutes before the end of cooking. Check the level of liquid in the pan often and add more broth or water to keep the ribs moist. The short ribs may also be cooked in a 300 F oven.
When the ribs are tender, remove them and the onions and strain the sauce. Discard the herbs and vegetables. Add the remaining marmalade and bring the sauce to the boil. Cook rapidly until the sauce is thickened and syrupy. Return the ribs and onions to the sauce and heat through. Adjust the seasoning and serve sprinkled with parsley. I love everything with mashed potatoes, so try those or a mixture of brown, wild and white rice.
La Macaronade de Vico au Stufado - serves 4 - 6
This is a Corsican recipe from that little island that is part French, part Italian, at least in its cuisine. The recipe itself comes from a brilliant book called "The French Woman's Kitchen" by Brigette Tilleray, Cassell publishers, 1990. I have taken very few liberties with it. I only cut the quantity of beef, upped the quantity of ham and smoked sausage and added a bit more tomato paste. The original recipe was also meant to be served with a macaroni pie, far too much for me, so I suggest pasta like bucatini or just let it go on its own to the dinner table.
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 lbs lean stewing beef, cut into 1- inch pieces
8 oz country ham, trimmed of fat and cut into 1- inch pieces
8 oz smoked sausage, cut into 1- inch chunks
4 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup red wine
Pepper
1 bay leaf
Pinch of fresh rosemary
1 whole clove
1 cup pitted green olives, halved
Salt
Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet. Brown the beef pieces on all sides, a batch at a time if necessary. Remove to a deep heatproof casserole. Add a little more oil and lightly brown the ham and smoked sausage. Add to the beef. Brown the shallots and garlic and transfer to the casserole. Stir in the tomato paste, wine and pepper. Add the bay leaf, rosemary and clove. Add enough water to cover. Cover the casserole and simmer for 2 - 3 hours or until the beef is tender and there is still enough sauce for the pasta. Add more water during cooking so that the meat is always covered. Remove bay leaf and add the green olives before serving. Taste and add salt if needed, but the country ham and smoked sausage are salty so more might not be needed.
Next time: It's Never Too Late For Soup
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