Lamb Shanks Cooked in Yogurt

Was craving a hearty stew and something light at the same time, so this minty recipe, found in Bittman's Best Recipes in the World (thank you, Norah and Jeff!), seemed like a decent compromise. The title's perhaps a bit misleading, as the yogurt is added during the last few minutes of cooking, but this turned out wonderfully. Used slightly less meat and more garlic (surprise) than the recipe called for, but it turned out wonderfully - rich and yet with a tangy lightness from the yogurt and the mint (fresh from our garden patch); when the dill comes in, I'll use that in a variant of this dish. Served it with couscous and chives (also fresh from outside).

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 meaty lamb shanks (3.2 lbs)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 25 or so garlic cloves (2 heads), peeled
• 2 large onions, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 quart yogurt (used full-fat Greek)
• 1-2 tsp. minced garlic (used two fat cloves)
• chopped fresh mint leaves for garnish (used about 1.5 tbsp. per serving)

Put olive oil in a deep pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Wait for a minute, then add the lamb shanks. Brown well, turning as necessary and sprinkling the meat with salt and pepper as it browns (about 10 min.).  Action shot below:

When meat is browned, add whole garlic cloves. Cook for another minute or two, then add the onions. Stir to distribute everything evenly, turn the heat to low, and cover. Cook gently, checking to make sure the mixture doesn't dry out - add water or stock in half-cup increments if it does (mine had plenty of fluid from both the meat and the onions).

Cook till the lamb is quite tender, about 1.5-2 hours (more like 2 hours for me).

Thin the cornstarch with two tbsp. of water, then stir into yogurt along with the minced garlic. Then stir this mixture into the pot with the lamb. Simmer, uncovered, for a few minutes (I went about 10, but that's partially because I was preparing couscous). Adjust seasoning, then garnish with the fresh herbs and serve.

Lamb Stew with Dill and Root Vegetables

Yesterday was the first time I cooked with dill. Handling the delicate, feathery herb is such a pleasure, even when you're frantically stripping fronds from stems because you forgot to add the latter to the cooking lamb. Gathering up the loose cupful of leaves to chop tickled my palms and fingertips; the delicate, fresh scent brought back memories of a summer night in Portland and the mild, gentle Bloody Dane I had there.

Herewith, the recipe I used last night - a riff on one of Bittman's riffs. While the stew turned out a tad soupy, it tastes good - lightly flavorful, but filling - and will probably taste even better tomorrow. I can also reduce the sauce a bit later on.

• 3 lbs. lamb shoulder, cut into 2-in. chunks (original: 2 lbs.)
• 1-2 tbsp. oil (used vegetable, because that was closest to hand - original recipe doesn't call for browning)
• 2 medium onions, chopped (original: 1-1/2 cups)
• 1 bunch dill
• 5 carrots, cut into 1-1/2 in. chunks (about 1-1/2 lbs.; original calls for about 3 lbs. of any combination of root vegetables)
• 3 potatoes, cut into 1-1/2 in. chunks (another 1-1/2 lbs. or so)
• 2 cups of liquid (used a low-sodium beef broth this time; may use less next time)
• salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Brown lamb chunks in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove and set aside.

Deglaze pot (I used a wee bit of cider vinegar and some broth, this time).

Strip the the leaves from a bunch of dill. Tie the stems together. Chop the leaves and set them aside.

Return meat to pot along with onions and dill stems. Season with salt and pepper, then add liquid. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn to low, and simmer till lamb is getting tender (about 60 min. in my case, but then again we were also playing Borderlands).

Add the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat till they're tender but not mushy - about 30-40 min., in this case.

When everything's done, stir in the dill. Correct seasoning, if necessary.

You Say Puchero, I Say Pochero (Filipino Beef Stew)

This took quite a bit longer than I had anticipated, and was a bit more complicated than I wanted dinner to be, but turned out wonderfully. And, as it's a stew (albeit a very soupy one, as I used all the delicious broth), I expect it will taste even better tomorrow. It's based on two recipes - one from Filipino Cooking Here and Abroad, and the other from this website - and the usual impulse to use up the greatest number of perishables. Would have rather gotten shanks instead of supermarket-style stew beef cubes, but EM was closed, alas.

• 1.75 lbs. stew beef, cut into inch-square cubes
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 medium onions - 1 sliced,1 chopped
• 7 cloves garlic - 4 crushed, 3 minced
• 3 celery stems - 2 cut into 4 in. lengths, one chopped (will probably leave out the chopped portion next time)
  
• 2 chorizos or 4 oz. spicy pepperoni (used the latter since I didn't have any chorizo handy)
• 1 14-oz. can of tomatoes
• 1 14-oz. can of chickpeas
• 2 tbsp. peanut oil
• 1/2 head medium cabbage, quartered
• 1 medium potato, cut into 1-2 in. chunks
• 6 scallions, cut into 2-in. lengths

Place the beef, peppercorns, salt, sliced onion, crushed garlic and 2 celery stems in a large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water (about 4 cups in this case). Bring to a boil then simmer till the beef is tender - anywhere from 1-1/2 to 2 hours. (The recipe to this point makes a nice, tasty beef broth that I'll be using as a base in the future, especially for nilagang baka [beef soup].) Add the chorizo or pepperoni 30 min. before you finish cooking this part.

Place the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the chopped onion and garlic for a few minutes, till the onion turns translucent. Add the tomatoes - crushing or chopping them, as is your preference - and cook till the mixture turns saucy for about 5 minutes (if you're more patient than I was at this point, you can cook them for another 5-10 minutes or so, till they break down and turn saucy). Add the chickpeas and cook for another 5 minutes.

Once the beef is tender and the chorizo/pepperoni has cooked, add the potatoes, chopped carrots and chopped celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the cabbage. Cook for about 10 minutes more or till the vegetables are tender but still have bite to them.

Add the tomato mixture to the large pot. Stir to combine and cook for another minute or two. Correct seasoning.

Remove from heat, add the scallions and cover. Wait 5 minutes, then serve over white rice.

Asadong Manok (Tangy Chicken Stew)

Last night, I was looking for a low-maintenance chicken recipe that would minimize prep and at-stove time while maximizing flavor and Fallout 3: The Pitt-playing. We had everything needed for this simple but flavorful chicken stew (original recipe from Filipino Cooking Here and Abroad; my version - which increases the amount of garlic, tomatoes and vinegar relative to the amount of chicken - below):

• 1-1/2-2 lbs. chicken thighs or other assorted parts
• 1/4 cup vinegar (prefer cane, used plain white since that's all I had)
• 4-6 plump cloves garlic, minced
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. cooking oil (I used peanut oil in this case)
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 1 14. oz. can tomatoes, drained and crushed
• 1 cup water - produces lots and lots of sauce (original recipe has 1 cup of water for 3-4 lbs. of chicken)
  
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp. paprika

Marinade the chicken with the vinegar and garlic for at least 30 minutes.

Place the oil in a skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and onions, then saute till the former are mushy (4-7 minutes).

Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade, and add it to the pot. Saute, turning the chicken pieces now and then, till the meat colors slightly (5-10 minutes).

Add the reserved marinade, water, bay leaf and paprika to the pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 30 minutes, until chicken is tender.

Correct seasoning and serve over white rice.

Chicken Garlic Stew

I was going to try a new chicken recipe, but we were all playing MLB 2K9 across the hall (my Yanks got spanked by the Indians, though fortunately Joba Chamberlain was not attacked by insects this time), and I wanted to minimize my at-stove presence. So I made this old standby (from Bittman) instead. It came out quite well (how can one go wrong with oodles of stewed garlic?) - John and I had it over white rice for a late dinner (after the ignominious defeat of our Nats by the Rockies), and some more is sitting under my desk in today's Mr. Bento. My tweaked version of the recipe is below:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1-1/2 lbs. chicken thighs (1/2 of what the original recipe called for, but I like sauce)
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• at least 2 heads of garlic, separated into cloves but not peeled (I used 3-1/2 small ones this time))
• 1/2 tsp. allspice (double what Bittman calls for; I much prefer this to cinammon, which is also a possibility)
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley (heaping)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (other options include stock and water)

Put olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown chicken well, turning when necessary. (This should take 10-12 minutes, but my pot was a bit too hot and the skin started sticking, so I peeled it off and abbreviated to about 6 mins.)

Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper; add allspice, parsley, garlic and liquid to the pot. Bring to a boil. Lower heat till liquid is at a brisk simmer, then cover the pot and play more Xb leave unattended till chicken and garlic are very tender, at least 1 hour.

Uncover. Correct seasoning, and serve (Bittman defaults to bread; I default to white rice).