Last weekend the family descended on my tiny (but beautifully formed) house to have a mothers day lunch - minus my father as it was a day for the ladies. So as it was up to me to coordinate the lunch (my sister bought the ingredients for the lamb shank as her contribution!) with a selection of crab and smoked salmon pates, with some Scottish smoked salmon with lemon slices - simple yet effective!
As Egbert and I were running behind the lamb shank went in a little late but in the true style of my family everyone else was late so it seemed perfect timing.
The lamb shank has to be the simplest of recipes with the most amazing return for very little investment. Buy you lamb shanks for the butcher if you can as you tend to get a bigger meatier shank than the supermarket. As there were five of us we had to use a combination of Sainsbury's and the local butchers - both worked very well but the butcher were not only cheaper but much bigger. I've written as accurately as I can my lamb shank recipe but usually I go but estimates, it's very hard to go wrong with this recipe! Famous last words...
Lamb Shank with Root Vegetables
Ingredients
4 lamb shanks
200g butter (softened)
Olive oil, for coating lamb
1-2 leeks, finely chopped into matchsticks
4 Carrots, finely chopped into matchsticks
1 head Garlic, broken up into cloves (unpeeled)
4 Bay leaves (optional)
4 sprigs Thyme
4 sprigs Rosemary
375ml White wine (about half a bottle will be plenty)
Mix the softened butter in a small bowl with the thyme until a combined paste. Next wash and pat dry your lamb shank. Looking at the bottom of the shank (wide part) make an incision with a small knife up the shank alongside the bone. A small pocket should already exist but often needs to be opened up. Stuff the butter mixture down this cavity in the shank until the mixture fills it. Spike the sprig of rosemary into the lamb alongside the butter. Rub shank all over with a little olive oil and season well.
Next make four squares of foil large enough to completely cover the shank and fold in the edges slightly to stop any ingredients falling off. Onto each piece of foil divide the carrots and leeks between the four pieces and pile in the centre of the foil - season well. Sit the lamb shank on top and place a clove or two of garlic alongside it and the bay leaf if desired. Bring the sides of the foil up to the top of the shank making a parcel with the exposed bone poking out of the top. Making sure all the sides are sealed pour in the wine (a few glugs is usually enough) which will help make the gravy.
Put into the oven at about 200c for a fan oven for two hours. When ready take out shank and put vegetables and gravy onto a deep plate sitting the shank on top. Serve with mash or potatoes dauphinoise.
For desert I decided to make a pear and ginger treacle tart and dug out this recipe from Good Food Magazine that had been lurking in my cookery folder desperate to be made. I started by making pastry in my new/old magimix (my god it's amazing) adding a touch of ground ginger to the pastry, using Rachel Allen's short-crust recipe and adding ginger. So by adapting the recipe made the most amazing tart ever! I have since had to stop myself from making it for dinner instead of a main course. But it's so so nice, calories shmalories.
Pear and Ginger Treacle Tart
500g pack sweet shortcrust pastry or make your own (see below)
a little flour , for dusting
300g granulated sugar
3 lemons , zested
5 firm pears , peeled
300g (one tin) golden syrup
50g caster sugar
1 ball stem ginger, finely chopped, or a third of a tub of pre-chopped glace ginger.
180g breadcrumbs
3 eggs
Pastry
400g plain flour, sifted
Pinch of salt
200g (3½oz) chilled butter, cubed
2 medium eggs, beaten
just under 1 tsp ground ginger
For the Pastry
Put the flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor and process briefly.
Add half the beaten egg and continue to process. (You might add a little more egg, but not too much as the mixture should be just moist enough to come together.) If making the pastry by hand, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse bread-crumbs then, using your hands, add just enough egg to bring it together.
With your hands, flatten out the ball of dough until it is about 2cm thick, then wrap it in cling film or place it in a plastic bag and leave in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or, if you are pushed for time, in the freezer for 10–15 minutes, before using.
For the Tart
Roll out the pastry with a little flour and use to line a loose-bottom 23cm round tin (it needs to be about 5cm high). Leave the excess pastry overhanging the sides, then chill for 30 mins.
In a large saucepan, melt the sugar with 800ml water and the zest of 1 lemon. Increase the heat until just simmering, drop in the pears, then cover and poach for 12-15 mins until almost tender (7-10 if the pears are already ripe). Lift out the pears, then set aside on some kitchen paper.
Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Line the pastry case with baking paper, fill with baking beans, then bake blind for 15-20 mins until a pale biscuit colour. Remove the paper and beans, then bake for a further 5 mins. Meanwhile, put the golden syrup in a small pan with the sugar, remaining zest, juice of 1 lemon and the chopped ginger and syrup, then warm until runny. Tip the breadcrumbs into a large bowl, then stir in the warm syrup and eggs.
Reduce oven temperature to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Slice a little off the bottom of each pear so they stand upright, then space them out in the tin. Carefully spoon in the filling and bake for 50 mins-1hr until golden and set. Cool to room temperature, slice off the excess pastry to neaten the edges, then serve with cold cream or hot custard.
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