Wednesday, February 24, 2010

one of my favorite pastas


Italian sausage and clam linguine is full of savoriness.
The pasta completely absorbed almost all of the sauce when sautéing them in the end, which is the way we love to eat pasta!

Monday, February 15, 2010

Juicy Braised Rosemary Lamb Shanks


One of Emeril’s lamb shank recipes....
is a delightful treat in the winter. This is actually really easy to make, and lamb shanks are a delicious and affordable cut of meat to get at grocery stores. Cutting and preparing the ingredients take some time, waiting for the Dutch oven to cook everything down for 2 hours while the aromas fill your kitchen is torture, but it is totally worth the wait.
I followed the directions and made Emeril’s Essence - these are all ingredients mostly our pantry will have.
The original recipe is here

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
  • 4 large lamb shanks
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
  • 3/4 cup chopped carrots
  • 3/4 cup chopped celery
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 cups dry red wine
  • 1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 4 cups chicken broth

  • Emeril’s Essence

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Directions

In a shallow dish, combine the flour and Essence. ( Emeril’s Essence listed above)

Season the lamb with generously with salt and pepper, then dredge the lamb shanks in the seasoned flour, shaking to remove excess.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and also 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat until hot. Add the lamb shanks, in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding, and cook until well-browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the shanks from the pan and set aside. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pan, and cook, stirring, until soft and caramelized around the edges, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to deglaze the pan. Cook until reduced by half. Add the

tomatoes and bay leaves and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the rosemary, thyme, chicken broth, and reserved shanks and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, cover tightly, and cook, turning the meat occasio

nally, until the meat is tender and falling from the bone, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Voila! Juicy, tender and delicious.