Braised Lamb Shanks & Asparagus Risotto

This is my husband's recipe, and I wanted to share this amazing dish! So delicious! My risotto was served on the side, a great addition to the lamb.

Ingredients:
2 lamb shanks, 1 lb. a piece, trimmed of fat
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1/2 Bordeaux red wine
1/2 Quart chicken stock
1/2 Quart beef stock
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1 fresh rosemary sprig
2 bay leaves


Appliances:
Le Creuset Dutch Oven-Large

Directions:
1. Put dutch oven on med-high heat burner. Add in 2 Tbsp. olive oil, let dutch oven come to temperature. Once at desired heat, heat 1 shank at a time, 3-5 minutes on each side, browning to a golen brown, then remove off heat onto heat safe plate.
2. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. to dutch oven, add in chopped onions, salt and pepper, letting them carmelize, 5-7 minutes, till translucent, but a bit browned from lamb remnants.
3. Next add in garlic, allowing garlic to carmelize with onions, 2-3 minutes.
4. Deglaze dutch oven with wine, stir everything with wooden spoon, scraping up lamb bits on the bottom of the pan to incorporate into liquid.
5. Add beef and chicken stocks, tomatoe paste, stirring all to incorporate paste and broth with wine, onion and garlic bath.
6. Add in rosemary, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
7. Bring pot to a boil, add in the lamb, if liquid does not cover the lamb, add more broth/wine/water to bring above lamb shank level, not expsoing the meat.
8. Cover, let simmer on low heat for 1 1/2 hours.
9. Remove cover, cook uncovered for additional 1/2 hour at same temperature to reduce liquid to fall below the shanks. Be sure to taste for proper seasoning level, et voila! You have your braised lamb shanks!

Plate the lamb shanks onto a plate, use broth bath in dutch oven to pour over the lamb as a gravy. If you wish for a thicker gravy, you might need to raise temp of broth to boil, then reduce again, this should help thicken naturally, without adding flour or thickeners, but if desired, I don't see that hurting anything.

Click on the link to see  my risotto recipe.

Bon appetit!

Risotto

Here's my easy-ish recipe for risotto. This is a recipe you don't let sit and cook while leaving the kitchen, you need to be stirring constantly to get the best risotto results.

Ingredients:
3 to 4 cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Directions:
1.In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer and keep warm over low heat.
2.In a separate medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the onion is transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until it is well coated with the butter but not browning, you're only toasting at this point, about 2 minutes. Next, add the wine and simmer gently until all the liquid is absorbed into the rice, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3.Ladle 1/2 cup of the warm broth into the rice mixture and simmer, stirring occasionaly, until the broth is absorbed. Repeat, adding 1/2 cup of broth at a time, until the rice is cooked through but still firm, 20 to 25 minutes total, consistancy should be creamy, not flakey and broken. A normal ladle is about a 1/2 cup, by the way.
4.Add the remaining butter and the salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Stir to incorporate. Adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, topping with additional Parmesan.

And there you have it! If you want to add specific ingredients, such as peas, asparagus, mushrooms, add them between step 3 and 4. Frozen peas, sauteed asparagus cut into the size of peas, dried mushrooms reconstituted and chopped, lobster, many options remain. Most important, have the risotto made to your desired liking, then add the additional ingredients to make your unique risotto and wow your guests!

Bon appetit!

Hot Artichoke & Crab Dip

I have been making this dip for years, everyone loves it! Usually rears its pretty head over the holidays, or any gathering. Alternative recipe below for other ideas.

Ingredients:
1 8 oz. tub chive & onion cream cheese, at room temp for 10 mins
1/2 cup. dijon mustard
1/2 cup. mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 pkg. imitation crab meat, chopped
3/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Appliances:
Food chopper!
Pyrex baking dish

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2, Having a food chopper will make this a sinch. Chop the artichokes and crabmeat to finely chopped pieces.
3. Combine all ingredients into mixing bowl, making sure you have a well balanced dip.
4. Pour mixture into pyrex baking dish, and bake for 25-30 mins. Watch closely at 25 minute mark, should become light golden, and you will smell the delicious aroma of the crabmeat and lemon! Pull out when done, set aside for 10-15 minutes before serving, will be really hot!

**Note: Original recipe does call for 1 cup mayo, to cut calories down, and add flavor, I created 1/2 c. mayo with 1/2 c. dijon mustard. Also, I've used low calorie cream cheese.

**I used mayo made with olive oil, I don't use low calorie/fat free mayo, nasty, especially for baking in a dip and having a crowd enjoy, somethings you can cut corners, mayo, in my opinion, you shouldn't, but tweak with mustard to cut the fat.

Alternative Dip:
Replace chive cream cheese with regular cream cheese, 1 cup of mayonnaise instead 1/2 c. mayo and 1/2 c. dijon mustard, jalepenos instead of crab, monteray jack cheese instead of parmesan, and you can have a hot artichoke & jalepeno dip, great for fiesta parties!

Bon appetit!

Homemade Hummus Recipe

I love hummus! I've been a fan for over 10 years now, and have finally become comfortable to make it! Before trying to make this, you should know what you expect of your preferences, as there are many many ways to make this amazing dip. Below is a basic recipe, you can use many ingredients to change the "theme" of your hummus. You've seen them at the grocery store: three pepper; red pepper; roasted garlic, artichoke, jalepeno, etc. Once you've made your hummus, you can get creative for future hummus try outs!

Ingredients:
2 cans garbanzo beans/chick peas, drained & rinsed.
1 lemon
1/4 c. tahini (Fresh & Easy, Trader Joe's, Wholefoods, etc)
1/3 c. water
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbps. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2-1 tsp. red pepper flakes (depends on your spice level)
S & P to taste

Directions:
1. Take your lemon, and squeeze out the juice into a measuring cup, you shoudl get about 1/2 cup or more.

2. Into a blender, add in 1/2 of the lemon juice, tahini, water, garlic & spices. Blend on high, 5 seconds.

3. Next, add in the barbanzo beans, and put blender on puree, pulsing as you go. If not blending well, take a spatula and scrape the sides and take a few turns stirring everything, cover and blend again and scrape sides down again if needed. Add in olive oil and remainder of lemon juice and blend, should be really creamy. If too thick, you might need to add some water, a little at a time, you don't want runny hummus, but a nice smooth dip. Taste for seasonings, you might find yourself needing more salt & pepper, and maybe red pepper flakes to increase heat, if desired.

That's it! Wow your guests this homemade hummus recipe! Serve with pita, veggies, crackers, whatever you enjoy dipping into the hummus.

Bon appetit!