Monday 21 March 2011

Butterbeans, Lamb Shanks and the Shoreditch Nut Huggers...

You have to love the Brits for their idiosyncrasies.  Temperatures in London have been reaching a balmy 12 degrees in the last two days and with that the clothes are shedding already... Today's heliocentric worship came courtesy of at least 5 people wearing their tighty whiteys around the pool at Shoreditch House.  Bless us, if ever a country were deprived of vitamin D its the UK... ;-) 

Now in spite of this heatwave having arrived in my book its still technically closer to winter than summer so with that in mind I've put together a hearty butterbean cassoulet with slow cooked lamb shanks for your dining pleasure...This one is an absolute corker when you're entertaining as once the prep is finished you can stick it in the oven and practically forget it.  Plenty of time to wax your summer bits ;-)



This recipe is great for a DIY date so the more TV chef clichés you can incorporate the better.

2 lamb shanks
1 medium size onion
1 medium size carrot
1 stick of celery
40g lardons
25g pearl barley
1 can of butter beans
2 Toulouse sausages
250ml chicken stock
125ml white wine
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 bay leaf, fresh thyme and rosemary

Brown off the lamb shanks quickly on all sides in a really hot ovenproof saucepan (steal your mum's Le Creuset) with a good splosh of olive oil then remove meat and set aside.

Turn heat down to medium and in the same saucepan brown off the lardons before adding the roughly diced carrot, celery, onion and garlic (when throwing ingredients into the pan imagine you are a matador and try shouting "olé!" for dramatic effect).

When the onion has gone translucent stir in your tomato purée before adding in the wine (nonchalantly from your glass) and reduce by half.

Next add the pearl barley (give it a good rinse first), bay leaf, a couple of sprigs of thyme and rosemary, half the beans, chicken stock and the lamb shanks. Generously pepper your performance with words like "seasonal" and "locavore" to inspire awe.

Put a lid on your pan, stick it in the oven on 120°C and invite your date to watch Dances with Wolves (the director's cut).

2 hours in, press pause and cut each sausage into 8 pieces, fry off and then add to your saucepan with the remaining beans.

One hour and a few well placed tears (to show your sensitive side) later take the shanks out of the saucepan, reduce the sauce on the hob until thick and serve it all with warm crusty bread.

Ensure you buy eggs for breakfast.

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