Shank

In the mood for something with strong flavor, I set out to cook some lamb. Lamb foreshanks, to be exact. The foreshank is essentially the front shin. It's a cut of meat teeming with connective tissue and is best done in a stew or similar. A long, slow cook to help break down that tissue and leave a nice, flavorful bit of meat when it's all said and done.

These methods take time, but are ridiculously easy. I grabbed some stuff at the grocery (and yes, it was a typically hellish trip) and got down to bidness. Into a largish pan goes a number of unpeeled garlic cloves and an amount of light red wine. The liquid amount is around a cup or so, but varies depending on your pan. You're most likely going to skim off the fat and cook it down for a sauce later.

So let's get going.

Simple pan, liquid, garlic, and meat.

Cooked about 2.5 hours on low simmer, turning every 30 minutes, which is crucial. The shanks turn a nice golden color.

The Three Dancers celebrate in preparation for the final finishing on the grill.

Prior to putting the meat on the grill, I covered the shanks in a paste of fresh mint, cilantro, minced garlic, olive oil, coriander, grated ginger, salt, chili powder, black pepper.

Just a few minutes per side, to char the paste on the outside. The result is a mouthwatering, minty, spicy, salty charred coating, while the meat itself is tender as it should be after the slow cooking and begging to come off the bone.

A final drizzle of the reduced sauce that was used for the slow cooking is a nice finish just at plating.

Combined with the shank, I threw together a Moroccan Carrot Salad. A simple mix of lightly cooked carrot (essentially, al dente), garlic, olive oil, vinegar, cumin, paprika, cilantro, salt and pepper. I did this early and chilled it during the slow cooking. Serving it cold, for me, highlights the nice paprika/cumin flavorings.

Also added a salad with a bit of bite. A Fennel Salad, that pairs fennel, onion, radish, watercress and arugula with a light dress of orange and lime juice, orange zest, pepper and olive oil. Served over a bed of butter lettuce.

No fancy plating. It's been too long coming. Let's just toss it on something sturdy and eat it with a nice chianti in a stemless wine glass. Shut up and get one, stems are for losers.

My finger is starting to throb from the traditional pre-feast blood offering. I need to sit down.