I Can Conclude I'm No (Food) Prude – Moroccan Lamb Shanks, Françoise’s Famous Brown Onion Soup, Orange Flavoured Oxtail, Malva Pudding

My beloved, who eats anything and everything, never complains and always says, “Thank you, that was a delicious meal” (even when, on the rare occasion, we have deli pies (or garage pies, as they’re colloquially known) with a good dose of salt for lunch), decided he had a weekend menu: comfort food. On the one hand, I was delighted; I didn’t have to plan a menu, but I did want to balk, only fleetingly. Inclement weather was predicted, and I pictured myself lying on the couch, wrapped in my Indian wool blanket, sipping hot chocolate, watching rugby and movies on DVD, with leftover soup and delivery pizzas. I laugh a lot; it’s no use sulking, so I got stuck in, and now I’ll share our Slow Food weekend menu:

“I like a cook who smiles out loud when he tastes his own work.  Let God worry about your modesty; I want to see your enthusiasm.”  Robert Farrar Capon

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Moroccan Lamb Shanks

Method:

1. Mix all the spices in a small bowl
2. Make the stock and leave it to rest.
3. Drip and coat the lamb shank with olive oil
4. Cover the shank with the spices and massage gently, making sure the entire piece is well covered.
5. Heat a casserole gently, add olive oil and butter, and melt—brown the meat over medium heat.  Do not burn.
6. Once beautifully browned, remove with a slotted spoon and rest.
7. Reduce the heat in the pan; add the onions, garlic, chili, and ginger.  Sauté until the onions are golden and translucent and the garlic, etc. have cooked.
8. Return the shanks to the casserole. Add the dried fruit.
9. Cover the meat with stock.
10. Cover with a lid and simmer in a preheated oven at 160C for 60 minutes.
11. Add the vegetables, cover, return to the oven and cook for a further 60 minutes.  If the stock evaporates too quickly, reduce the oven temperature to 120C and cover with tin foil for the remaining cooking time.
12. Once the meat falls off the bone, the shanks are ready.
13. Remove the shanks and vegetables from the casserole and plate them on a platter.
14. Reduce the liquids to 250 ml until slightly thickened.
15. Pour over the shanks to give them a nice glaze.

 Shanks can be served with rice, mash, polenta or couscous.  We prefer cauliflower mash.

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To take our dining experience to another level, our electricity supplier decided to load-shed, so we enjoyed our shanks by candlelight. I must confess it was different. They did it again on Saturday evening, just as I was getting into cheering mode; we had to dash off to friends' to watch the second half of the test match, Springboks vs England. The Roses came off second best. Shanks guys.

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Cauliflower Mash

Place the cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl, add the remaining ingredients, cover with cling film, and microwave on high for 10 minutes, until soft. Pour off all the liquid, then strain. Blitz until smooth. Transfer to a serving dish. Check the flavours. Garnish with chopped parsley, a shaving of nutmeg, and, if desired, a sprinkling of grated Gruyère cheese.

Note: Butternut, baked in the oven until tender, scooped out of the skin, and mashed with a knob of butter, salt, and pepper, is delicious alongside any stew or casserole, provided you don't add extra butternut.

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“Your body is not a temple; it’s an amusement park.  Enjoy the ride.” Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential:  Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly.

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Vegetables In The Oven - Ideas

I opted for grilled oven-baked vegetables this time, so instead of adding my carrots and pearl onions to Sunday's Oxtail Casserole, I peeled a selection of jewelled baby carrots and onions, glazed them with olive oil, sprinkled salt, pepper, whole cumin, and sprigs of thyme over the vegetables, and baked them in a very hot oven at 220°C for 45 minutes until they were cooked through with a darkened sear.

Vegetables to use: root vegetables, onion, new potatoes, butternut, cauliflower and broccoli.

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Francois’ Famous Brown Onion Soup

"Life is like an onion: you peel off layer after layer, and then you find there is nothing in it." James Huneker

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the onions.
2. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.
3. Remove the lid and continue frying the onions, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown.
4. Stir in the stock, sherry, salt and pepper.  Taste.  It's important to get the flavours just right.  Sometimes I need to intensify the stock by adding another teaspoon of stock powder, salt or pepper.   
5. Replace the lid and simmer for 30 minutes.
6. In a small basin, mix the flour and water to a smooth paste.
7. Add to the soup and stir until it comes back to a boil.
8. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes until the soup has thickened; remove the soup from the stove.
9. Meanwhile, spread the garlic butter onto both sides of the French bread; grate the cheese and sprinkle half over the bread. 
10. Bake the bread on a baking tray in a preheated oven at 180֠C until the bread is crisp and the cheese has melted.  Arrange the bread in individual bowls and pour the hot onion soup over it.  Serve remaining grated cheese in a separate bowl.

“Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart.”
― Erma Bombeck

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Oxtail for Father's Day

After a weekend in the kitchen, I was privileged to share my meals with friends, family, and especially my father on Father’s Day. He’s not one to accept compliments gracefully, but it was special to laugh with my parents and to have my brothers and sister-in-law with us. Butch spent a long, teary afternoon in the kitchen chopping herbs and peeling and slicing onions. Still, he enjoyed the compliments flooding in from our impressed guests, as well as from his favourite son-in-law and daughter, who made the effort to spend the day with us too.

We indulged in Sue’s scrumptious, velvety chocolate mousse, a family favourite, then finished with hot Malva Pudding, custard and vanilla ice cream. Many hands made light work, and without me noticing, the kitchen fairies fired up the dishwasher twice. I returned to a spotless kitchen when they’d all left.

 “Don’t wreck a sublime chocolate experience by feeling guilty.  Chocolate isn’t like premarital sex.  It will not make you pregnant.  And it always feels good.”  Lora Brody

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Caramelised bananas and orange (pineapple, but orange slices work perfectly too!) for dessert, perfect when there is a power outage. I did this on the gas.

Caramelised Fruit

Pour the sugar into a warm pan, add the water, and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Over medium heat, bring to a boil; the water will evaporate, and the sugar will become "crusty".  Watch the sugar as it melts; it is best not to stir, but to swivel the pan.  (I do crack the sugar with a wooden spoon though, just impatient) Once the sugar has melted and the caramel turns a rich golden colour.  Add the butter, then add the fruit and cook for a few minutes, until nicely browned.  Now add the alcohol (I added my homemade Limoncello), ignite, and flambé until all the alcohol has cooked away.  Remove the fruit, plate,  and pour the rich sauce over the fruit.  Delicious served with Vanilla ice cream.

P.S. The sauce, without the fruit, is delicious too and can be served with ice cream.

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Bon appetito amigo!