Can anyone refuse this week’s cracker of a meal at our place?

Well the winters cold is nipping at our ears, snow is falling on the near by hills and Slow-cooked lamb shanks served on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes is all I can think of.

Here’s one of my new favourites, us in Sun-dried tomatoes and Pesto along with capsicums and Spanish onion. Well strap in as I go and give the new cast iron cooker a tryout….

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About:

Diabetic, Egg free, Heart friendly, Low Carb, Low GI, Nut free, Gluten Free

Easy to cook

Prep time: 30 Minutes

Cook time: 3 ½ Hours

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 3-4 tbs  first pressing Extra Virgin olive oil
• 6 Frenched lamb shanks
• 2 red onions, sliced
• 2 red capsicum, seeds removed, thickly sliced
• 2 yellow capsicum, seeds removed, thickly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 300ml white wine (preserved the rest to have with dinner)
• 3 tbs sun-dried tomato pesto
• 2 cups (500ml) lamb or beef stock ( I prefer Beef Consumme’)
• 10 vine-ripened tomatoes, quartered
• Leaves of 1 long sprig rosemary
• 2 tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Creamy mashed potato, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. (fan forced or conventional)
2. Heat the oil in a cast iron cooker (pot) over high heat and brown lamb shanks in batches to seal on all sides. Remove and set aside. (be careful as the hot oil really burns)
3. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, capsicum and garlic to the casserole. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes until vegetables start to soften (the onions will become translucent).
4. Add wine, pesto and stock, and then return shanks to pan.
5. Add tomato and rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover, and roast in oven for 2 1/2 hours.
6. Remove lid and cook for a further hour. Stir in parsley, reserving a little to garnish.
7. To serve, dollop mash on good size plates, sit a shank on top and spoon around some sauce and vegetables.
8. Garnish with parsley (optional).

Note: I make a special potato bake which I use as the base for the meal and place fresh beans on the side drizzled with a good olive oil and sea salt

Well again it’s winter but really this is a dish that is just as good in spring or summer, slow cooked leg of lamb (7 hours) and I am going to try a new slow cooker (Kambrook 6 litre)

About:

Diabetic, Egg free, Heart friendly, Low Carb, Low GI, Nut free, Gluten Free

Easy to cook

Ingredients

• 4 anchovy fillets, patted dry
• 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
• 1 leg of lamb 1.8 to 2 kg leg of lamb (must be able to fit into pot)
• 1 x 200 g piece of pork rind with 5mm fat attached (optional but really nice)
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsb. olive oil
• 2 bouquets garnis (thyme, bay leaf, parsley stalk, celery)
• Kitchen string
• 250 ml dry white wine
• 250 ml chicken stock

If you have a cast iron cooking pot then you also need:

• bit of flour around ½ a cup
• water

Preparation

The important thing here is the pot or in my case the slow cooker. I have a new 6lt slow cooker which so far has been great. But if you are fortunate to have a good quality heavy cast iron oval ovenproof dish with a tight-fitting lid that will hold everything snugly.

Follow the pre-cooking instructions for your specific electric slow cooker or if you are using a cast iron pot then preheat the oven to 120ºC/250ºF.

Cut the anchovy fillets into 12 pieces

¼ the garlic cloves into 12 pieces

Make 12 incisions into the lamb and insert a piece of anchovy and a piece of garlic into each. (Hint: I use a boning or filleting knife if you have one)

Grind pepper over lamb and rub with salt.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy fry-pan and brown the lamb on all sides. (if you are using the cast iron pot use it here instead)

Now prep your bouquet garnis. Pretty straight forward cut the celery stalk into pieces about 15 – 20 cm, if you have fresh bay leaf bruise it by crushing in your hand tightly wrap the thyme stalks and bay leaf inside the celery stalks and wrap te kitchen string around until firm (HINT: lay the kitchen string out on the chopping board this will allow you to place the bouquet garnis onto the string)

Now this is where the recipe can go 1 of 2 ways if you have an electric slow cooker then:

• Remove the browned meat and bacon rind from the backing dish or pan you used to brown the meat in an place into the slow cooker

• Put the pork rind into the pan you browned the meat in, fat side down
• Once it has rendered, deglaze the fry-pan with the stock and pour over the lamb

• Add the wine and the bouquets garnis to the lamb and stock.

• Put on the lid and wait

If you are using a cast iron pot then there is an additional step:

Seal the pot before it goes into the pre-heated oven

• Mix up a paste from the flour and water. Use the paste to glue the lid to the dish.
• Stand the dish on a baking tray to catch any drips, and put it in the oven. Forget about it for 7 hours.
• After it’s done, remove the dish from the oven and break the seal. Prepare to be overwhelmed with a most excellent aroma

Gravy:

Collect the juices to serve as gravy. Add corn flour and if you feel naughty cream and stir into a thick rich decadent gray.

I would normally serve this in winter with creamy mashed potatoes and green beans.

Any comments?

I guess I could have put this question in the Cooking section too. Oh well!

My father-in-law, a well respected doctor, was such a sucker for infomercial gadgets! My mother-in-law never knew what the next package would contain because he would stay up late and order the stuff while she was asleep. He bought the salad shooter, glass magic wand, pole extension for dusting and painting, pasta draining pot, any miracle cleaner they advertised, veggie mandoline cutter, ginsu knives, garlic peeler and dicer, jar opener, the screw extractor, some talking fish and turkey, miracle tarnish proof felt jackets for silver, plastic container organizers, flow-be, pizza heater, mini chopper/blender/grinder, salad spinner, a pan that is split and cook 2 different things at once, the original laser stud finder and level, and those are only the ones I can think of off of the top of my head.

I can say, we used to get his cast-offs and some really did work. Still in use are the salad spinner, laser level, pole extender, screw extractor, tarnish proof jackets for silver.

He passed away, thanks for a great memory of a wonderful person. We used to make fun of him for his "infomercial addiction", now it is a fond memory.

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I believe that Tupperware is an excellent product to sell. There are so many different containers for storing food, re-heating food, freezing food, pitchers for drinks, kitchen gadgets, also they sell plates and cups. You should go to their website, find a local consultant and just pick their brain about the company and it works. I love Tupperware, I grew up on it, I even have some old pieces that my mom had when I was a kid. http://order.tupperware.com/coe/app/home

My children say it is my Potato Soup that I make for them when they don't feel well…and they are all grown and still want Momma to make it for them…

Now if you are talking seasonal 'comfort' food then here are some suggestions:
Stews
Chowders

Chili
Red beans and Rice
Pot Roast with roasted potatoes and carrots
Chicken and dumplings
Chicken and dressing

Have you used this? What is your opinion on it after having tried it?

Yes, it’s now sitting in the cabinet collecting dust after using it a couple of times. If you have one of those old sandwich makers that look similar to this appliance, it would do the same thing that the GTX press does. I hope you don’t waste your money on it.

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Ina Garten's Cookbook "Barefoot Contessa Family Style" is full of great comfort foods.

You will find many uses for this accurate and affordable easy-to-hear talking thermometer in addition to testing the temperature of your meat or poultry. It speaks in 0.1 degrees F and is accurate to within plus or minus 1.8 degrees from – 4 to 248 degrees F. You insert the stainless steel probe into the food, wait a few seconds, then press the talk button. It also reports the temperature of bath water, the room temperature, a heating pad or any other heat affected object. It measures 10 x 1.7 x .59 inches, including the 5 inch probe. The white case fits comfortably into your hand. Operates on an included common 3 volt coin cell. You’ll probably use this thermometer so often that it will become one of your favorite gadgets.

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I prefer not to give recipes. HOWEVER, use your imagination OR buy prepared salad dressings.

Stuffed celery w/ cream cheese – or any cheese for that matter. Simply wrap the cheese around the celery OR if you’re eating cheese wedges, alternate between the two.

Hearts of lettuce with some of your favorite veggies.

Caesar salad (with the dressing on the side, until your ready for lunch)

When you go to the store, experiment with different veggies, greens and lettuces.

Chef’s salad w/ some of your favorite cold cuts or cheeses.

Waldorf salad – with apples, grapes, walnuts, celery and mayonnaise.

When I was a young man, we grew tomatoes. It was nothing to grab a ripe tomato from the vine, chill it for a couple hours, then eat it like an apple with salt and black pepper. You could do the same with vine-ripened, store-bought tomatoes; tomatoes from a produce stand or farmer’s market. Depending on the size of the tomato and your appetite, that’s a really easy lunch – or snack, isn’t it?

Cucumber salad.

Stuffed tomato w/ your favorite mixed salad – shrimp, chicken, egg, etc.

Fruit salad – using fresh fruit, canned fruit or a combination.

Shredded Carrot and raisin salad.

Leftover meatloaf [ketchup on the side];

Imitation crab salad

Soup.

Deviled eggs

Leftover fried or baked chicken OR just about any leftovers for that matter.

What's that? No refrigeration? You could use one or two of those freeze and re-use then freeze again ice packs, couldn't you?.

Thanks for asking your Q! I enjoyed answering it!

VTY,
Ron Berue
Yes, that is my real last name!