Rioja Braised Lamb Shanks with Garlic and Chorizo

There's nothing like rich and indulgent comfort food in the winter. Especially when it involves very minimal effort. It may also surprise you to discover that I've never had a lamb shank! I originally though that they were excruciatingly expensive, but these shoulder shanks were very affordable and were bought from the Waitrose meat counter. A perfect treat for a weekend dinner. This recipes comes from Lorraine Pascale's Home Cooking Made Easy. 

Rioja Braised Lamb Shanks with Garlic and Chorizo

Serves 2

   Ingredients

• 2 lamb shanks
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• oil, for frying
• 350ml/12fl oz Rioja or 350ml/12fl oz good-quality beef stock
• 100ml/9fl oz balsamic vingear
• 1 garlic bulb, cut in half horizontally
• 2 bay leaves
• 1–2 tsp paprika
• handful black peppercorns
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 300ml/10fl oz beef stock
• 125g/4oz chorizo
• 1 large red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped

    

Method

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 3

Season the lamb well with salt and pepper. Drizzle oil into a heavy-based pan set on a high heat.

Brown the lamb shanks all over and remove from the pan.

Add the wine and balsamic to the pan and boil for five minutes. Put the lamb shanks back into the pan along with the garlic, bay leaves, paprika, peppercorns, half the rosemary and the stock.

Once boiling, place the dish into the oven and cook for two hours. This can be elongated by turning the heat down if that's more convenient for your schedule.

Remove the dish from the oven and add the chorizo, onion, carrot and remaining rosemary, then return to the oven and cook for another hour. You want to make sure that the meat is tender and falling off the bone.

Remove the meat and vegetables with a slotted spoon and keep warm.

Place the pot onto a high heat and boil for 8-10 minutes, or until thickened slightly.

Serve the meat and vegetables with lashings of sauce and a side dish. I chose to do mashed carrot and swede, but you could use spring greens or creamy mashed potato.

Chorizo Carbonara

So, it's been a little while since I've blogged. This is totally unacceptable, but I've been having an extremely busy august. Firstly Rob and I moved into our own bijoux love nest in South West London. We've been enjoying access to butchers, fishmongers and cheeseries and the amount of greenery. Having my own kitchen is a complete blessing and we've been experimenting with different recipes nearly every night.

As well as sorting out flat admin, my mother's impending wedding is approaching at an alarming rate.  Last weekend we enjoyed a great hen do - baileys, boats and feather boas all featuring!

You may remember the foodie pen pals project that I wrote about last month. I really enjoyed creating my box this month, but due to unforeseen courier issues I still haven't received my box. Apologies for the delay in this, I will be posting as soon as I receive my anxiously awaited parcel.

Luckily amongst the crazy month that was August, we encountered a bank holiday and I found the time to set up a  post. Bank holidays are made for relaxing and eating deliciously rich fayre. This time, after a long National Trust walk, we tried a Chorizo Carbonara. I've never had a good carbonara before, only the gloopy microwaved versions. Rob tells me I am missing out greatly, and after trying this version, I will be ordering a carbonara on our next visit to an Italian.

This recipe comes from Hugh Fearnley's River Cottage Everyday. It's fantastically quick and requires minimal effort with maximum tasty gain.

Chorizo Carbonara

Ingredients:

Enough spaghetti for 2 hungry people

1 tbsp olive oil

175g Diced chorizo

2 large egg yolks

100ml double cream

Salt and Pepper to season

In a jug, beat together your egg yolks and cream and season with pepper and a smidgen of salt. Put to one side.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the spaghetti. Cook to your preference (I would suggest an al dente texture).

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan or skillet. Add your diced chorizo and cook until golden and crispy.

Drain your pasta and add it to the chorizo pan. Pour in your cream/egg mixture and whisk together, taking the pan of the heat. Serve immediately! There's no need to worry about ensuring the egg is cooked, the heat from the pasta/meat will cook it.