Lamb Shanks with a Red Wine, Tomato and Garlic Ragout

Ingredients:

• 6 lamb shanks
• Salt and ground pepper
• 20 Cloves of garlic (whole, peeled)
• 1 cup Dry red wine
• 2 cups Canned diced plum tomatoes
• 1 cup Veal jus or demi-glace (a thick stock or sauce you can make from scratch or buy prepared or powdered)

Directions:

1. Season each shank well with salt and pepper. Arrange in a roasting pan and place in a pre-heated 400 degrees F oven. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until it begins to brown. Add whole garlic cloves and roast for a further 15 minutes.
2. Remove from oven and de-glaze the pan, loosening the brown bits cooked to the bottom by pouring the red wine over the shanks and stirring the bottom of the pan to release any caramelization. Add tomatoes and veal jus. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and return to a 350 degrees F oven for two hours.
3. Remove shanks from braising liquid and allow to cool. Refrigerate and skim any fat from the surface. (This recipe may be finished to this point up to two days before serving.)
4. Place shanks and braising liquid in a shallow roasting pan, cover and re-heat at 350 degrees F until heated through. Adjust sauce with salt, pepper and butter.
5. To finish, serve each shank over buttermilk mashed potatoes and spoon the tomato garlic ragout sauce over top.

Written by Ian McKenzie on February 28th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Stew and Lamb.

30 Minute Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

The Simple Dollar offers five tips for preparing home-cooked meals, with minimum effort at the end of a busy day.

• Prepare meals in advance.
• Discover the crockpot.
• Have regular “leftover” nights.
• Use lots of items that require minimal preparation.
• Eat extremely simple meals

The Simple Dollar » “I’m Too Tired To Cook” - At-Home Dining Solutions For The Overworked Family.

I find that a combination of the last two tips can lead to some first-class dishes, without resorting to microwaved “poor man quesadillas” Here’s my recipe for spaghetti with tomato sauce that can be prepared in the time in takes the water to boil and the pasta to cook.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dried spaghetti
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 28 ounce tin of diced tomatoes
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Fill the pasta pot with enough water to cook the spaghetti, salt well and place on high heat. Once the water comes to the boil add the spaghetti and cook until al dente.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, a pinch of salt and saute for five minutes. Add the dried herbs, crushing them and cook for another minute.
3. Add the ground beef, break it up and cook until no longer pink.
4. Stir in the diced tomatoes, bring to a simmer. Add pepper and reduce heat and continue to cook until the spaghetti is ready.
5. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
6. Drain the spaghetti, return to the pot and toss with the tomato sauce.
7. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Serves four as a main course.

The thing with this, and similar dishes, is you can substitute to your heart’s desire depending on the contents of your pantry.

• You can use ground or boneless chicken parts or omit the meat for a vegetarian version.
• If you like it spicy, add some dried chilis during the cooking process.
• Use what dried herbs you might have, instead of basil and thyme.
• If you happen to have fresh herbs on hand, chop them and add them just at the end of the cooking process.

Written by Ian McKenzie on February 28th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Main Dish and Tips and Italian and Pasta and How To and 30-Minute Meals.