I love Lamp! I mean Lamb. I really, really do. When it is on a menu along with Duck – my brain gets all knotted and I go with the pork. It’s an odd program I have to keep from overloading.
So I was checking out the Stiles Farmers Market in Hells Kitchen, which is right next to the Big Apple Meat market (40th/9th Ave). This is a great new spot close to my digs! I will be returning. The meat is fresh and very inexpensive (they do a lot of volume) and the produce market is wonderful – except for the leafy greens. They are hit or miss.
I was walking through the meat aisle when I saw a bunch of lamb cuts of varying quality, and thought, if I want to make a stock, I need bones. If I am stewing, I can use cheaper cuts. The cheaper cuts come with bones! I thought I had everything figured out. Note: I do a lot of recipes by the seat of my pants, which means there are technical mistakes I am sure. That said, anything that makes BCC is delicious so if it wasn’t meant to be you wouldnt know about it. I picked up Lamb shanks (2) and a large rack of lamb ribs.
In Stiles, I grabbed many pieces of winter produce (see ingredients). For a stew, it kind of just matters what hits you, and give it at least a modecum of thought and sense as to whether they’ll stand up in a hearty and long cooked dish. For instance, maybe dont use broccoli for something like this.
Off back home for a weekend of cooking. The following takes a lot of time – but the result was fabulous. I decided as well to cook some mushroom pappardelle to go with it – a great choice if I say so myself.
Ingredients
– Lamb Shank and Lamb Ribs, roasted through. Remove the meat in chunks, throw away excess fat, reserve bones
– 1lb or 3-4 Large Carrots, whichever is more, sliced into rounds
– 1lb or 20 Stewing Onions, whichever is less
– 3 cloves Garlic chopped
– 2 Large Parsnips, peeled and sliced
– 2 large potatoes, cubed
– 8 Mushrooms, quartered
– 8 Brussell Sprouts, quartered
– 3 fresh bay leaves, Sprigs of Thyme, Oregano
Fresh (ish) Pappardelle Pasta.
I’m going to be frank per usual here, I don’t read up on a lot of technique, but the following stock/sauce recipe worked out well. The sauce was thick and savory and a great consistency for the pasta.
I put half of the onions and all the carrots and garlic into a large stock pot with the meat chunks.
I put the fresh garden herbs and meat bones into some cheese cloth then tied it closed. I wanted the herb flavor, not the fibers.
I put the bag ‘o’stuff into the pot and covered it in water. I brought it to a boil then simmered it on low for awhile slowly reducing the broth. I stirred it plenty. You add a touch of salt if needed at this point but remember as it reduces the salt density will rise so you can easily over do it. When the broth is too your liking, it should have a thick somewhat starchy quality from the potatoes and (maybe) carrots. Remove the bone bag and let it cool down. Once cool, the excessive fat may rise to the top. Feel free to scrape off. Also, if the liquid became flavorful but still very thin. If that’s the case, before heating it, throw a tablespoon or two of corn starch into a bowl, and add some stock. Whisk it into a slurry. When reheating, add a quarter at a time until you get the desired thickness. Finish seasoning if needed.
I cooked the pasta separately al dente then added it to a pan of sauce and simmered it for a couple minutes.
Enjoy!
Braswell's Cooking Corner 