Shank you very much!

Slow cooked lamb shanks and rice

Some thoughts on Greek cooking

Lamb and olive oil are the first things that come to mind for many people when thinking of Greek food. While Greece might not have the best olive oil in the world (close, but no banana), the olives themselves are something else. I remember driving through Kalamata - and there they were! I love Portuguese olives best of all (though getting your hands on the really good ones isn’t easy in Sydney).

What is often forgotten is that Greek home cooking is very veggie friendly. Fundamentally a peasant cuisine, meat was a rarity. Stuffed vegetables, spinach and feta, olive oil and bread. Lemon juice to add zing. And legumes. Those guys sure know how to cook a bean!

Well, I can’t claim any fancy leguminous techniques here: my chickpeas come out of a can. But the overall effect is a hearty farewell to winter.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose tomato salsa
• 1 cup lamb stock
• 4 lamb shanks (see lamb two ways)
• 1 can chickpeas (including brine)
• 2 cups long grained rice
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• pepper to season
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• About .25 cup each olives and feta cheese

Method

The whole thing takes about seven hours, but very little effort.

I use a slow cooker for this. Otherwise, use an oven-proof dish with a good sealing lid, and put in the oven at 110º.

Steam two cups of rice.

Heat the olive oil in a fry pan, and brown the lamb shanks for about 2 minutes. Place them in the slow cooker when done. Drop the heat and sauté onion and garlic. Once the onion is translucent, add the stock and salsa and stir to deglaze the pan. Add bay leaves, rosemary, pepper. Pour contents of pan over lamb shanks.

Set slow cooker to low and cover. Leave slowly cooking for four hours.

By this time, the lamb will be well cooked - but not quite with the marrow-strong flavour we are looking for.

Add the chickpeas, folding into the rest of the contents. Replace lid.

After another two hours, add the rice, feta and olives, and fold through again.

One hour later - ready to serve.

Two sauces to go!

One of my go-to books is The complete book of sauces by Sallie Y Williams. Dip in. Dish out. Spend half an hour making two sauces each week: dinners, lunches, and pasta or noodles for a quick stir-in snack. Thank you Sallie!

Pepper and mushroom

This is good with steak, and I also used it this week with fettuccine, tossed with continental sausage pieces and steamed vegetables: some sliced artichokes and queso blanco on the side. I also used it as a savoury spread on toast for breakfast. That’s what sauces are for!

Ingredients

• .25 cup olive oil
• 1 portobello mushroom, chopped
• 1 20ml can pepper corns (including brine)
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 cup lamb stock
• .5 cup chopped shallots

Method

Sauté garlic until it is translucent, not brown. Add mushrooms and continue over medium heat until the mushrooms soften. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.

Yields: 1 cup

Sticky marinade

This is perfect for roast or barbecued pork ribs. Also very good for roast carrots. For a vegetarian main, substitute vegetable stock or a dry white wine for the chicken stock.

The trick for the carrots is to par-boil them first, and then put them in the marinade, which lets them absorb the flavour.

Before serving, toss the carrots in chopped parsley and lightly toasted slivers of almond. Cracked pepper. Yum!

Now, back to the sauce…

Ingredients

• .25 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• .25 cup brown sugar
• .25 cup cider vinegar
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon smokey paprika

Yields: 2 cups

I have ribs and carrots separately marinating for a Father’s Day lunch tomorrow.