Snuggle up with these hearty winter-warmers. They take time to cook, but they’re worth the wait.
Slow Roasted Lamb Shanks with Creamy Polenta
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Serves 4.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 brown onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
3 stalks fresh thyme
1 carrot, diced
1 tsp dried oregano
2 cups (500ml) salt-reduced stock
700ml tomato passata
½ cup (125ml) red wine
Fresh herbs to garnish
Soft white polenta and asparagus to serve
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 170°C. Place half the oil in a large frying pan over a moderately high heat. Lightly flour lamb shanks, season with salt and cracked black pepper. Cook lamb shanks for 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Return frying pan to the heat, add remaining oil. Add garlic, bay leaves, onion, celery and while pan-frying, add fresh thyme followed by carrots. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally or until soft and golden. Add oregano. Cook for a further 3 -5 minutes.
Place in a heavy-based casserole dish and top with the lamb shanks.
Add the stock and bring to boil. Add tomato passata and red wine, bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 8 minutes, to thicken slightly. Pour sauce over lamb shanks.
Cover with baking paper and foil. Cook in the oven for three hours.
Serve lamb shanks on a bed of soft white polenta, garnished with fresh herbs and with steamed asparagus.
Tips:
Top serving dish with shaved parmesan.
This dish can be cooked the day before and gently heated to serve.
Polenta can be substituted with mashed potato.
Asparagus can be substituted with broccoli or broccolini.
This recipe also works in a slow cooker.
Braised Lamb & White Bean Crumble
Braised Lamb & White Bean Crumble.
Serves 4.
Ingredients:
650g diced lamb
2 tbsp olive oil
1 Spanish onion, diced
1 red capsicum, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp smoked paprika
400g canned cherry tomatoes
2 sprigs thyme
2 x 400g cans white beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp red wine vinegar
120g (½ cup) mayonnaise mixed with 1 crushed garlic clove
Mixed leaf salad, to serve
Crumble:
2 tbsp olive oil
80g coarse fresh breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ long red chilli, finely chopped
2 tbsp coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Method:
Preheat oven to 160°C. Heat oil in a large casserole dish over medium-high heat. Season the lamb with salt and pepper, add to dish in batches and brown well (2-3 minutes). Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining lamb.
Add onion, capsicum and celery, saute until onion is tender and translucent (4-5 minutes), then stir in garlic and smoked paprika. Return lamb to dish and add tomatoes, thyme and 350ml water. Season to taste and bring to the boil.
Cover pan with foil or a lid, transfer to oven and braise for two hours. Stir in beans, re-cover and return to oven until lamb is very tender (30 minutes). Stir through vinegar and season to taste.
Meanwhile, for the crunchy crumble, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs and cook (3-4 minutes), stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Stir in garlic and chilli until fragrant, remove from heat. Season to taste and stir in parsley.
To serve, scatter breadcrumbs over the casserole and serve with mayonnaise and mixed leaf salad.
Tip: Use mince instead of diced lamb for a quicker cooking time.
Steamed green beans, sour cream, finely chopped chives, lemon wedges, to serve
Method:
Place beef, paprika, chilli, caraway and flour in a large snap-lock bag. Season and toss well to coat.
Heat half the oil in a large casserole dish over medium-high heat and cook beef, shaking off excess flour, in batches, for 4-5 minutes or until browned. Set aside on a plate.
Heat remaining oil in same casserole dish over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 4-5 minutes or until softened. Return beef to pan, add stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook, covered, for 1 hour, 15 minutes.
Add potatoes, cover and cook for a further 30 minutes or until beef and potatoes are tender, adding extra stock or water, if required. Remove from heat, stir through kale, replace lid and set aside for 5 minutes.
Serve beef with beans, sour cream, chives and lemon wedges.
Tips:
Gravy beef or blade would also work well in this recipe.
Add sliced capsicum or fresh chilli to the beef, if desired.
This recipe will freeze well for a hearty midweek winter meal.
Tomato, Rosemary & White Wine Braised Oxtail
Tomato, Rosemary & White Wine Braised Oxtail.
Serves 4.
Ingredients:
1.25 kg oxtail, trimmed and cut into 4cm sections
2 tsp veg oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1 cup white wine
2 cups beef stock
250g tinned chopped tomatoes
1 large sprig rosemary
To serve: Broccolini, smashed cannellini beans and gremolata
Gremolata:
1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Method:
Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Place a large casserole over a moderately high heat and brown the oxtail pieces in the oil for 8 minutes or until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
Add the carrot, celery and onion and cook for a minute or until lightly browned. Add the oxtail, along with the wine, stock, tomatoes and rosemary.
Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and place in the oven for two hours or until the meat is soft, then remove the lid and cook for a further hour or until the meat is falling off the bone. Skim off any fat and season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the gremolata on top and serve with broccolini and smashed cannellini beans.
To make the gremolata: mix the ingredients together in a small bowl.
20°C