Published with permission from COOKED IN THE KAROO by Justin Bonello, www.justinbonello.com. Photography Louis Hiemstra and Cooked in Africa Films. All rights reserved.
These will feed about 10 of your friends, with lots of leftovers for you to enjoy in the morning.
YOU’LL NEED :
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lots of time to hang around the house
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12 Lamb Shanks
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Flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
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extra Salt and Pepper to taste
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a big knob or two of Butter
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a splash of Olive Oil
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a bottle of good-enough-to-drink Red Wine
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about three cups of Vegetable Stock, preferably organic
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1 whole Garlic Bulb
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10 sprigs of Rosemary
Preheat your oven to 110°C. Toss the shanks around in the seasoned flour until evenly dusted. Melt the butter in a large pot, add a splash of olive oil, and then seal the shanks in batches. Once browned, take off the heat and set aside. Put the pot back on the heat and deglaze by pouring in about a glass of the red wine, stirring with a wooden spoon to get all those lekker bits off the bottom. Now, take the pot off the heat again, stack the shanks (fat sides down, bones facing up), and pour in about three cups of vegetable stock. Next add the rest of the wine, the whole garlic, the rosemary, salt and pepper. If your pot has an oven friendly lid, pop it on, otherwise cover with foil. Let the shanks slow roast in the oven for about 7 hours or until tender and just about falling off the bones. Check if they’re cooked after about 6 hours to be on the safe side. Word of advice: the lamb will have its own natural flavour, but taste the sauce to make sure it suits your palate and adjust if needed. Most of the taste should come from those delicious shanks.
MINT AND PEA RISOTTO
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2 Onions, chopped
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a big knob of Butter
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Olive Oil
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1 whole Garlic bulb – crushed and chopped
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A bag of Risotto rice
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a bottle of Dry White wine – about a cup for the risotto and the rest for you and whoever is helping you cook dinner
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Organic Veggie Stock – about a litre
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About two cups of fresh or frozen Peas – add it just before serving the risotto, so it’s still crunchy
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A handful of fresh mint, chopped
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a big chunk of Parmesan, grated
About 30 minutes before the lamb shanks are almost ready, start cooking the risotto. The worst thing you can do to risotto is overcooked it – it’s got to be al dente which means the grains shouldn’t stick together and disappear into a gooey mush – this isn’t porridge! Melt the butter in a pan over low heat and then add a splash of olive oil. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and fry until just soft, then stir in the garlic and cook for about another 30 seconds – be careful not to burn the garlic. Next, add the risotto rice, and stir around until the grains are all properly coated with all that buttery garlicky goodness. If you’re not happy with the butter/rice ratio, add more butter. Risotto can never have too much butter … or Parmesan! Stir in about a cup of white wine then once the liquid has almost completely absorbed, add a ladle of stock and keep stirring. Continue this process of adding stock and cooking it off until the risotto is al dente then add the peas, a big chunk of butter and a hearty handful of grated Parmesan. Give it one good stir around, season with salt and take it off the heat.
MINTY CREAM
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2 big handfuls of Fresh Mint
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about 2 -3 cups of Cream
You can make the minty cream while you’re cooking the risotto. All you have to do is pour the cream into a saucepan, then add the fresh mint. Bring to a simmer and let it cook until the cream has reduced by half, stirring it every now and then to stop it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Strain the cream through a sieve; otherwise, you’ll be chewing on mint stalks later.
TO SERVE :
Scoop a big spoonful of the creamy risotto onto a plate, put one lamb shank on top, drizzle with some of the delicious gravy and finish it off with a generous dollop of mint cream on top. This isn’t the kind of meal you eat while trying to balance a plate on your knees. This meal is a little celebration, so be a bit fancy, set a table outside on your lawn, with loads of candles, good wine and great friends and enjoy every morsel under a star-filled sky.