Easy-Peasy Lemon-Squeezey Slow Cooked Pork Neck

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Linga Longa, Main Course, Paleo, Pork, Slow Food, Slow Roasted Pork, Whole Food, Whole30

(Image by TSL)

This magical, marvelous food on our plate, this sustenance we absorb, has a story to tell. It has a journey. It leaves a footprint. It leaves a legacy. To eat with reckless abandon, without conscience, without knowledge; folks, this ain’t normal. (Joel Salatin, farmer and author of ‘Folks, This Ain’t Normal; You Can Farm‘)

My lovely friends at Linga Longa had some beautiful looking pork neck at the markets on Saturday. So I bought a little piece to slow cook for LM and myself. Alright. That was a white lie.  I actually bought quite a lot. 2 kilos worth, in fact. That’s just under 4 1/2 pounds for those of you who don’t think ‘metric’.

The recipe we have on highest rotation here at Casa TSL is my Jamie Oliver Inspired Four Hour Lamb. Only now, instead of a leg, I usually pick up a couple of shoulders and slow cook them together, which gives us oodles of meat to play with for days…

But that’s another story for another time…

Today, I decided to play around with that 4-hour lamb number, only with my pork neck, instead. And, it ROCKED!

I’m a massive fan of slow cooking my animal protein. It’s easy. It’s a great way to batch cook. The flavour is incredible. And, did I mention it’s easy? 

Step 1: Prepare your rub by bashing 6-8 cloves of garlic with thyme leaves and lard.

Step 2: Massage garlic, herb and lard mix into your pork. Add bay leaves and pop into the oven.
That’s pretty much it.
(Images by TSL)

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 4 1/2 hours
• Difficulty: Couldn't be easier
• Print

Ingredients

2 x kilos of happy, hormone free pork neck
6-8 x cloves of garlic, peeled (I used 8, but I love garlic!)
1 x bunch of fresh thyme, leaves stripped
1 x handful of bay leaves
1 x Tablespoon fat (I used lard)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (omit black pepper if on strict AIP)
1 x Tablespoon Tapioca starch/Arrowroot powder (If you’re not on AIP, use your preferred flour)
375 ml chicken bone broth (or stock)
1 x bunch herbs, finely chopped (I used parsley and a little sage)
2 x Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Method

1. Heat your oven to 220°C/425°F.

2. Using a pestle and mortar, roughly crush the garlic cloves with the thyme, fat, salt and pepper. Place your piece of pork into an ovenproof roasting dish (I used my trusty Le Creuset), pierce all over with a sharp knife and rub all over with the garlic and herb mixture. Massage for a minute or two.

3. Place the bay leaves on top of the meat.

4. Cover your roasting dish – either with a lid or firmly with foil and pop it into the oven. As soon as you close the oven door, reduce the heat to 160°C/320°F.

5. Walk away for four hours and let the meat, garlic and herbs work their magic.

6. Remove the pork from the roasting dish and onto a carving board. Cover with foil and allow to rest.

7. Discard the bay leaves. Put the roasting dish on the stove over a medium heat.

8. Mix the starch with a little bone broth and add to your roasting pan. Allow to bubble for a minute.

9. Add the rest of the bone broth, making sure you scrape all the meaty bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer for a few minutes.

10. While the gravy is cooking, shred the pork with two forks.

11. Add the chopped herbs and vinegar to your sauce. Taste for seasoning. Serve!

E N J O Y !

This recipe features in the Phoenix Helix Recipe Roundtable

RIDICULOUSLY GOOD Herbed Slow-Cooked Lamb Shanks

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Best Lamb Shank Recipe, Health, Jamie Oliver, Lamb Shanks, Nightshade Free, Paleo, Slow Food

(Image by TSL)

I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here.

Always remember: If you’re alone in the kitchen and you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who’s going to know? (Julia Child)

Do you know my all-time MOST popular post ever? It is the one about Jamie Oliver and His BEST EVER Pukka Spiced Slow-Cooked Lamb Shanks. Even today, it remains in my top three posts for hits.

And, in fairness to Mr Oliver, it is an awesome lamb shank recipe. Seriously pukka, even! But, given the chilli and tomatoes that are kind of central to Jamie’s dish, this is one recipe that definitely doesn’t fit the Autoimmune Protocol ‘rules’.

Down here in Sydney-town, the temperature has suddenly dipped a little as we head towards winter. And, on Saturday night I had a good friend coming for dinner. I happen to know she loves lamb shanks, so it seemed like just the time to amend Jamie’s recipe to meet my AIP needs.

And – I gotta tell you – they were RIDICULOUSLY GOOD! This is a great recipe to make over the weekend. I think there’s something quite therapeutic about chopping up all the veggies, and all that long, slow cooking makes the house smell so inviting.

Plus, once the dish is in the oven, there’s not much to do – there are loads of vegetables in the dish, so while I think serving your shanks on a bed of mash is recommended, you don’t really need any more greens unless you’d like the meat to stretch further.

And, as I tend to do with all my braises, I took my meat off the bone. I think it goes further this way. Of course you can choose to leave your shanks whole if you prefer.

We had our shanks with a celeriac and parsnip mash. YUM!

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 3 1/2 - 4 hours
• Difficulty: easy-peasey
• Print

(Image by TSL)

4-5 x large lamb shanks (I managed to squeeze 5 large shanks into my le Creuset)
1 x tablespoon fresh rosemary (chopped)
1 x tablespoon fresh thyme (finely chopped)
sea salt and (optional) freshly ground black pepper
1 x teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram
1 x teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 x tablespoon fat (I used beef tallow)
2 x large carrots (quartered and diced)
4 x sticks celery (quartered and diced)
1 x large leek, washed and finely sliced
2 x large onions (finely chopped)
2 x garlic cloves (chopped)
2 x tablespoon fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
2 x tablespoon apple cider vinegar (I use this one)
100 ml dry Verjuice
6 x anchovy fillets
250 ml Bone broth (or stock)
Handful flat-leaf parsley (chopped)

1. Heat your oven to 180°C/350°F. I start by washing and chopping all my vegetables. Put aside in a large bowl.
2. Throw chopped rosemary, thyme, dried oregano, cinnamon, salt and pepper into your mortar and pestle. Give it a good bash. Rub the shanks in this mixture, pressing it in well. I find the best way to do this is to place your meat in a large plastic bag. Pour the herb mixture in and give it a good shake, ensuring each shank gets a good covering of the rub.
3. Heat a thick-bottomed casserole pan, add your fat of choice and – when the fat has melted – brown the meat on all sides in batches and remove from the pan.
4. Add the carrot, celery, onions, leek and garlic along with the extra chopped rosemary and a pinch of salt and sweat them until softened (about ten minutes).
5. Add the apple cider vinegar and allow it to reduce to a syrup.
6. Pour in the verjuice and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes.
7. Add the anchovies and then add the bone broth. Shake the pan and return the lamb to the casserole. Shimmy the shanks around to get a nice fit.
8. Bring to the boil, put on the lid and pop in the oven for 2 – 2 1/2 hours to work its magic. Then, remove the lid and cook for a further half an hour.
9. If you want to take the meat off the bone, now is the time to do so. Carefully remove your shanks from the casserole. Using two forks, gently pull the meat from the bone. It should fall away. Once shredded, the meat can be returned to the casserole. I also take care to ensure I have removed all the marrow from the bones and pop that back into the dish.
10. Taste for seasoning. Finally, stir in a handful of roughly chopped fresh parsley.

E N J O Y !

Trying something new here at TSL – I’ve linked this recipe in the Phoenix Helix AIP Recipe Roundtable. It’s chock full of people also on this crazy regime of removing anti-inflammatory foods to heal…

*Don’t worry, Missy K – I didn’t drop the lamb!

Osso Buco – AIP Style

Tags

AIP, Autoimmune Protocol, Batch Cooking, Budget Friendly Recipe, Osso Bucco, Osso Buco Recipe, Paleo, Slow Food

(Image by TSL)

I’m currently on the Autoimmune Protocol, a nutrient-rich elimination diet that removes foods that irritate the gut, cause gut imbalance and activate the immune system. You can read more about the protocol and why I’m doing this here.

This magical, marvelous food on our plate, this sustenance we absorb, has a story to tell. It has a journey. It leaves a footprint. It leaves a legacy. To eat with reckless abandon, without conscience, without knowledge; folks, this ain’t normal. (Joel Salatin, farmer and author of Folks, This Ain’t Normal; You Can Farm)

I love my Le Creuset casserole. It is possibly my favouritist piece of kitchen equipment in my whole kitchen. Well, after my knives, it is. I’ve had it for years. So long, in fact, that the good people at Le Creuset don’t even make casseroles in my colour-way anymore. No matter – there’s still a lot of life in my well-loved one, yet.

I’ve probably mentioned my tactic of cooking once to eat twice (or even, thrice), before. It works particularly well for slow cooking in my Le Creuset. And, I know there are people out there who swear by their slow cookers. All power to them. But, me – I like the old-fashioned process of preparing, chopping, slicing, searing, simmering, seasoning – and then checking – as I braise my dish.

And, braising is the way to go if you want to maximise the nutritional value of meat in your diet (AND it’s budget-friendly). There is a tendency to focus far too much on the sexier, high-end cuts of meat these days – steaks, back-straps, chicken breasts. But did you know that’s not so healthy? – Especially all the time.

According to the very knowledgable Denise Minger, our high intake of methionine (an amino acid that comes from muscle meats), combined with our low intake of glycine (an amino acid from skin, bones, cartilage, etc) is a setup for chronic health issues.

Eat more slow cooked food, I say!

And, did I mention it tastes fantastic, too?

My blogging buddy, Petra recently posted a recipe for Kahlua Lamb Shanks. She made it for breakfast! Frankly, it looked pretty amazing to me, and I was all set to adapt it to fit the 1.5 kilos of osso buco I had defrosting. 

But, I got a little carried away. This AIP jaunt is really changing the way I approach cooking. At every opportunity, I look for ways to include more veggies and bone broth into my day. For this wee number, I managed to slip in onion, celery, carrot, garlic and silver beet/swiss chard, along with bone broth I had prepared earlier. Not so bad, I reckon!

Don’t know what Osso Buco is? Osso buco is a Milanese specialty of cross-cut veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine and broth. It is often garnished with gremolata and traditionally served with risotto alla milanese.

The extra-special thing about osso buco is that because the shank is cut cross-ways, you get lots of lovely bone marrow melting into the braise as your meat cooks.

Of course, on the AIP, there is no risotto. And, instead of gremolata, this time I added some wilted greens into the dish. The end result is a bit of a one-pot-wonder, although if you’d like your meat to stretch even further it would be great on a root vegetable mash…

TSL's Osso Buco - AIP Style

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 4 1/2 hours
• Difficulty: easy-peasey
• Print

Ingredients

1.5 kilos happy, pasture-raised ‘osso buco’ (I had 5 large pieces)
2 x onions
2 x carrots
2 x large sticks celery
3 x garlic cloves
4 x rashers of bacon
1 Tablespoon fat (I used beef tallow)
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 cups bone broth (or beef stock)
1 x large bunch silver beet/swiss chard – washed, dried and cut into ribbons

Method

1) Half an hour before you begin cooking, remove your shin pieces from your fridge and bring to room temperature. I like to salt my meat at this stage.

2) Heat your oven to 180°C/350°F. Place a casserole over a medium heat and add your fat. Once the fat has melted, brown the meat in batches. As each piece finishes, remove it from the pan and put aside in a bowl.

3) While the meat is browning; wash, peel and dice carrots, celery, onions. Peel and chop your garlic and dice your bacon. Finely chop your rosemary. Put aside until ready.

4) Once all your meat has been browned, turn the element down to low and add the vegetables, rosemary and garlic to the casserole. Allow to sweat for ten minutes.

5) Add balsamic and apple cider vinegars. Mix thoroughly with softened vegetables. Allow to bubble for a minute or two.

6) Layer the shins over the top of the vegetables. Add your bone broth/stock. Bring to a slow boil.

7) Place the lid firmly on the casserole and transfer to the oven. Let it work its magic for three hours. I like to check it once or twice because I’m nosey like that!

8) Remove the lid and place back in the oven for thirty minutes to reduce some of the liquid.

9) Remove the casserole from the oven. At this point, your meat should have fallen off the bone. Remove the bones, ensuring all the lovely marrow has melted into the dish. At this point I like to break apart the meat with two forks – it should just fall apart.

10) Stir in silver beet/chard ribbons, pop on the lid, and put the casserole back into the oven for 15 – 20 minutes to allow the greens to wilt.

11) Check for seasoning and serve.

E N J O Y !

Best Sydney Breakfast (& Lunch & Dinner) Spots: Three Blue Ducks

Tags

Best Breakfast, Best Brunch, Best Sydney Cafe, Bronte, Bronte Beach, food, Gluten Free, Gluten-free diet, Nose to tail, Restaurant Review, Slow Food, Spring Wellness, Sprouted Gluten Free Bread, Sydney, Sydney Restaurant, Three Blue Ducks

2 Ducks at Three Blue Ducks
(Image by LM for TSL)

After our Sunday wander around the periphery of Waverley Cemetery (see previous post!), we were a mite peckish. All part of LM’s cunning ‘adventure’ plan. He perfectly executed our arrival at the ever-fabulous Three Blue Ducks to coincide with a recently vacated outdoor table.

And, my fresh coconut water went down a treat…

View to the water from Three Blue Ducks
(Image by LM for TSL)

Fresh Coconut Water
(Image by LM for TSL)

In case you a) have been living under a rock; b) live anywhere but Australia; or, c) have another good reason for never having heard of Three Blue Ducks, I urge you to go and check out their story here. Essentially, five guys living the Sydney life, serving up seriously good nosh in an informal and unpretentious café on the main drag of Bronte. And, did I mention the food is seriously good?

Three Blue Ducks Entrance
(Image by LM for TSL)

…and from the other direction!
(Image by LM for TSL)

LM being artistic at Three Blue Ducks
(Image by LM for TSL)

Three Blue Ducks ‘Street Art’ Wall
(Image by LM for TSL)

Tetsuya’s philosophy was always to get the best ingredients you can afford and do as little as possible to make them amazing. And that’s still what we do now. Despite the fact we’ve got no tablecloths, we’re next to a bus stop, it’s got graffiti and it’s more casual, I think the philosophy is the same. We’re still using the same suppliers I’ve been using for 13 years. (Darren Robertson, Chef – Three Blue Ducks)

While the vibe may appear to be laid back Australian, the food is anything but. And, the service team is both disarmingly efficient and knowledgable* (which this picky gluten-free diner is particularly happy about!).

If your eyes are better than mine, check out the menu…

Three Blue Ducks Menu
(Image by LM for TSL)

I have had the braised lamb shoulder with peas, bacon, cos lettuce, onion and mustard jus on my last couple of visits, so I was determined to try something different this time…

Beetroot, haloumi, red onion, spinach salad with spiced pistachio and almond gazpacho – YUM!!!
(Image by LM for TSL)

I was not disappointed. This salad was the bomb! It would have been great without the pistachio praline and almond gazpacho. But with them… Total heaven. Maybe the lamb has been bumped off my favourite spot?

LM had the slow cooked pork. I don’t think he’s ever tried anything else off the lunch menu, he loves it that much…

Slow cooked pork with apple, brussels sprouts, chilli, honey and fried egg
(Image by LM for TSL)

…the locals were pretty friendly, too!
(Image by LM for TSL)

Three Blue Ducks is at 141-143 Macpherson St, Bronte, NSW 2024.

They are open for breakfast and lunch 7 days from 7am. Dinner is served Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Bookings taken for dinner only.

*Our fab’ waitress recommended we try the gluten-free ‘sprouted quinoa and millet’ bread. I have been looking for a gluten-free sprouted bread for ages and I wasn’t disappointed. It was excellent. She even gave us the details of their supplier. I’ll be ordering some from Spring Wellness next week. They deliver!

Luke Mangan’s SERIOUSLY GOOD Osso Bucco

Tags

Anthony Bourdain, Cook, Jamie Oliver, Luke Mangan, Marsala, Osso Bucco, Ossobuco, Recipe, Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks, Slow Cooking, Slow Food, Winter Recipe, Winter warmers

Osso Bucco
(Image from here)

My most popular post ever, by a considerable margin, is the one about Jamie Oliver and his best ever pukka spiced slow-cooked lamb shanks. Thousands of people have clicked on this one. Lovely-jubbly Jamie. His recipes work. I can’t recall ever having had a dud.

But, a girl can only eat so many spiced shanks. And, we can’t turn to Jamie every night of the week, can we?  So today, I bring you another recipe that works. Every time.

Luke Mangan is the Michael Corleone of Sydney. A colossus. Don’t go drinking with him. Last time I hung out with him, I crawled home like a whipped dog. (Anthony Bourdain)

Luke Mangan is a Sydney-based chef, and up there as one of Australia’s best known celeb’ chefs. I know him best as the man behind Glass Brasserie at the Sydney Hilton, but he has his fingers in lots of pies around the Asia-Pacific region and is currently working on cookbook number 5.

Luke Mangan
(Image from here)

This recipe for Luke Mangan’s Osso Bucco is so good, it’s even LM’s current go-to number for the nights that he’s cooking. He always doubles the recipe. And, if it’s good enough for LM…

Osso Bucco with Sweet Potato Mash & Broccolini

Serves 4

Ingredients

1kg veal Osso Bucco
½ cup flour
seasoning
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
1 onion chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
½ cup carrot, chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 cup dry Marsala
2 cup veal stock
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
8 pieces broccolini
Extra virgin olive oil
Extra seasoning to taste 

Mashed Sweet Potato
3 large sweet potatoes
¾ cup cream
½ cup butter
¾ cup maple syrup

Gremolata
1 lemon, zested
1 orange, zested
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp parsley, chopped

For the gremolata

For gremolata, combine all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

 
Method

Season flour and coat the veal shanks in the flour mixture; tap off any excess.

In a large heavy pan, heat the oil and butter and sear the osso bucco pieces on all sides, turn bones on sides to hold in marrow and add more oil and butter if needed.

Remove the browned osso bucco and set aside.

Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves and parsley to the pan and cook until softened, season to taste.

Turn heat up to high and add the dry Marsala to deglaze the pan.

Return the osso bucco to the pan adding the stock and tomatoes.

Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for about 1 ½ hours or until the meat is tender, basting the meat a few times during cooking. (LM cooks it longer – until the meat is falling apart)

While the osso bucco is cooking, wash the sweet potato and pat dry.

Place sweet potato in individual tin foil pieces, adding a drizzle of olive oil and seasoning.

Place in a pre-heated oven on 180 degrees and cook for 45-50 minutes. (sweet potato will be cooked if a knife can go straight through each piece)

Remove sweet potato from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

When the osso bucco is cooked remove from stovetop and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Scoop out the flesh of the sweet potato and place it into a sauce pan adding the cream, butter and maple syrup.

Place saucepan back on the stove to re-heat and season to taste.

In a pot of simmering water add 1tsp salt. Place the broccolini in pot and cook for 2-3 minutes, remove with tongs and place on absorbent paper. Drizzle broccolini with extra virgin olive oil and season to taste.

To serve

Place a large spoon of sweet potato on each plate, followed by the osso bucco and sprinkle with gremolata. Arrange broccolini next to the osso bucco and serve.

Bon appetite!

Kate Walsh Celebrates Real Food

Tags

Classes, Cooking Classes, food, Food Classes, food projects, Kate Walsh, Kimchi, Real Food Projects, Rene Redzepi, Sauerkraut, Slow Food, sydney market, Traditional Food

Kate Walsh (aka McDreamy’s ex)
(Image from here)

No, no, no! Not THAT Kate Walsh.

THIS Kate Walsh…

Kate Walsh of Real Food Projects
(Image from here)

As usual, I’m a little late to the party. I’ve only just discovered Kate Walsh and her seriously fab’ Real Food Projects here in Sydney, after reading about her in a recent Good Food article online.

People will travel anywhere for good food – it’s crazy. (Rene Redzepi)

I do agree with Rene*, people will travel for good food (especially when it is coupled with great service). But, there is definitely a growing movement of foodie types who seek a more ethical, natural and sustainable way of eating. A way of understanding what they eat, and where it originated. A big step away from overly-processed and genetically modified food and towards a more natural relationship with food. A bit like our grandmothers, or even their grandmothers used to have. It is possible that I am one of these people…!

Kate Walsh worked with global not-for-profit organisation Slow Food in the United States and consulted with the progressive Food Democracy Now group, before deciding she wanted to fill a gap in the Sydney market. And so, Real Food Projects was born. Lucky for us!

According to the Real Food Projects website, “Real Food Projects connects people to the story behind their food. We are a community of friends, chefs, growers, foragers, butchers, eaters and farmers. We throw great parties, hold cooking classes, do private catering and create the occasional pop-up shop in celebration of local, seasonal and ethical food. Our first ambitious project, co-founded with Matt Brannagan, was a lightening-fast, two-week pop-up Christmas shop in Darlinghurst, Sydney in 2012. Following this success, we opened another pop-up shop this time in Newtown, a cooking class series and an informal supper club over March 2013.”

Real Food Projects – Cooking School
(Image from here)

I may have slept through the first two Real Food Project pop-up shops, but there’s no way I’m missing their current project – another pop-up, but this time a cooking school in the first three weeks of July.

If you are keen to learn how to make butter, pastry, pickle or jam, even butcher a whole lamb, why not let the artisans of Sydney show you how.

Capturing Cultures with Holly Davis
(Image from here)

I’m going to be ‘Capturing Cultures’ with Holly Davis, learning the art of fermenting my own vegetables at home. But, if sauerkraut and kimchi ain’t your bag, how about making ‘Beef Jerky’ with Griffin Jerky or ‘Home-made Ricotta’ with Kristen Allen (resident cheese-maker and pickler at Cornersmith).

Places at the Real Food Projects classes are going fast (some have sold out already), so if you’re interested, I suggest you sign up sooner rather than later. Classes start from $55 a session and will be held at the 107 Projects store at 107 Redfern Street, Redfern and West Juliett café in Enmore.

*although, I haven’t been quite lucky enough to travel as far Noma for a meal…

Jamie Oliver and His BEST EVER Pukka Spiced Slow-cooked Lamb Shanks

Tags

Best Lamb Shank Recipe, Cook, Eveleigh Markets, Jamie Oliver, Lamb Shanks, Moobi Valley Farm, Naked Chef, Slow Food, Tony Bilson

I know, I know – this ain’t no food blog and today I’m going to give you the second recipe in a week but, hear me out. Please…

1. We’ve been buying some of our meat from Tony Bilson at Home by Moobi Valley Farm. It’s very good – albeit expensive – and my usual man at Eveleigh Markets on Saturday mornings is both gorgeous and enthusiastic about his product. The thing is – when we tried the lamb shanks, LM said mine were better. (Go me!)

2. It’s almost brass monkey weather here – by Sydney standards, anyway. That means I’m busy making stocks and soups and nothing beats a great lamb shank meal in cold weather.*

3. In this world of fast food and jumbo soft drinks, I reckon Jamie Oliver’s quest to educate kids into becoming more aware of what they put in their mouths is laudable. He’s fighting an uphill battle. Some mornings he must get up and wonder why he’s bothering, given the reactions he has received from some communities. Yet, he believes in what he’s doing and so he sticks at it. Go Jamie!

Give your kids a bloody knife and fork and let me put some fresh food in front of them they can eat. (Jamie Oliver)

And, you know what? His recipes work. Every time. They’re not fussy or complicated but they taste great. I’m a believer…

Jamie Oliver ‘The Naked Chef’

So, with that in mind. Tonight I’m making Jamie’s Spiced Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks for LM. THEY ARE SO GOOD! The recipe is from his first ever cookbook, ‘The Naked Chef’. I’m possibly showing my age when I say it was first published in 1999 and I’ve been cooking from it since then. (It’s official – I’m old!)

If Obama wanted to make radical changes to America’s health long-term, all he has to do is treble the price of sugar and salt. (Jamie Oliver)

Jamie Oliver’s Spiced Slow-cooked Lamb Shanks
(Image sourced from here)

Jamie Oliver’s (BEST EVER Pukka) Spiced Slow-Cooked Lamb Shanks

4 x lamb shanks
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 x teaspoon coriander seeds
1 x small dried red chilli (or 2 teaspoons fresh chilli)
1 x tablespoon fresh rosemary (chopped)
1 x teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram
1 x tablespoon flour
1 x tablespoon olive oil
1 x clove garlic, finely chopped
1 x large carrot, quartered, finely, sliced
6 x sticks celery, quartered, finely, sliced
2 x large onion, finely chopped
1 x tbsp fresh rosemary
2 x tbsp balsamic vinegar
170 ml dry white wine
6 x anchovy, fillets
2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes
1 handful fresh basil, roughly, chopped (I prefer continental parsley)

1. Season the lamb with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Smash up the coriander seeds and dried chilli and mix with the dried marjoram. Roll the lamb in this mixture, pressing it in well. Dust the lamb with the flour.
3. Heat a thick-bottomed casserole pan, add the oil, brown the meat on all sides and then remove from the pan.
4. Add the garlic, carrot, celery, onions the chopped rosemary and a pinch of salt and sweat them until softened.
5. Add the balsamic vinegar and allow it to reduce to a syrup.
6. Pour in the white wine and allow to simmer for 2 minutes.
7. Add the anchovies (these really seem to intensify the lamb flavour) and then add the tinned tomatoes, kept whole. Shake the pan and return the lamb to it.
8. Bring to the boil, put on the lid and simmer in the oven at 180 C/350 F for 1.5 – 2 hours, then remove the lid and cook for a further half an hour.
9. Skim off any fat and taste for seasoning. Finally, stir in a handful of roughly chopped fresh basil, marjoram or flat-leaf parsley.

NB – If you don’t have any white wine handy, I use a mixture of verjuice and stock. The cookbook says it serves four, but if you take the meat off the bones and shred it, it will easily make it to five. I serve this off the bone with either mash, cous cous or rice.

Enjoy!

‘The Naked Chef’ is available from Amazon here.

*For all you readers from the Northern Hemisphere who would rather a summer mango daiquiri recipe – sorry! Maybe you could bookmark this for six months time?

Pooh and Tigger and Star Signs and Thanks and Blog Friends and More…

Tags

A.A. Milne, Art, Australia, Blog, Blog award, Blog Awards, Books, Christopher Robin, culture, Design, Dogs, food, Illustration, Kenzo, Literature, New Zealand, Piglet, Poodles, Pooh, Shoes, Sketches, Slow Food, Tigger, Winnie the Pooh

Into The Sunset With Pooh and Piglet by E.H. Shepard
(Image sourced from here)

Back in April, when I wrote my Oscar speech, I mentioned that I had held off responding to a couple of blogging award nominations because I found it much, much easier to write or post about almost anything other than myself. Well, it appears it hasn’t got any easier with time and I am well overdue again. How rude of me! 

“Oh Tigger, where are your manners?”

“I don’t know, but I bet they’re having more fun than I am.” – A.A. Milne

So, as with Tigger and his guilty conscience, I apologise for my tardy response, and I now give you a wee post to say thank you to a few of the lovely people out in blog-land who have nominated This Sydney Life for a few more blog awards.

First, there is Life in Relation to Art with the One Lovely Blog Award. Next, Simple Cherishes with a double banger – the One Lovely Blog Award and The Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Finally, my Polish blogging bud’, Layyla Over the Rooftops of the World with The Versatile Blogger Award. To you all, I say a very heart-felt ‘Thank you!’…

(Image sourced from here)

Sometimes,’ said Pooh, ‘the smallest things take up the most room in your heart. – A.A. Milne

I don’t think I’m a terribly naïve person. Truly. And, I’m not a girl who follows her horoscopes, either. But, it has been mentioned, on more than one occasion that I may be a typical Libra. This is possibly a good thing given my birthday is in October! I did a quick google search and it turns out that, with one or two exceptions, that could be correct, too*… A Libra loves art, is a slight perfectionist, is charitable, can be bossy at times (LM nods head), enjoys a debate, dislikes ugliness (who doesn’t?), and apparently can’t take criticism.

Anyhoo, all of this is a long-winded introduction to me attempting to inarticulately express how much I’m getting out of this blogging gig, which in turn seems to tick a lot of those ‘Libra boxes’** So much more, in fact, than I ever could have imagined. And, that is almost entirely due to the connections blogging has provided me from around the globe. This includes the comments I receive about my wee shares and finds – mostly, but not always, from fellow bloggers who have stumbled across This Sydney Life; and also, the bloggers I meet through reading their blogs – some often, and others more intermittently.

I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen. – A.A. Milne

Without exception, my experience in ‘starter blog-land’ has been a welcoming, friendly and supportive adventure. It has surpassed all expectations. My wee band of subscribers is growing, so I must be doing something right. Best of all, I have a legitimate outlet for all those little design-oriented finds I want to share. How lucky am I? 

If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear. – A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

One of the great things about the blog world is that you can find a blog about just about any subject you can imagine. And, because blogs, by their very nature, are not like committing to a novel, you can dip your toe in the water to see if you like the temperature before subscribing. And, they’re free. Yeah, Baby!

So, just for a bit of a gas, I thought I’d randomly choose some topics that interest me right now on this Sunday afternoon and google them to see if I could find blogs on these subjects. Here’s what I found:

New Zealand Design: Fancy – a yummy looking blog featuring awesome design stuff from New Zealand & around the world. But mainly NZ. I am now a fan.

Australian Design: ModaMuse – modern Australian and New Zealand designers, artisans and crafters. Oh, yes please

Shoes: All That Shoes – I’m a girl so it follows that i like shoes. Check out this tumblr site for some oh-so-sexy shoes… Don’t even get me started on the last pair I purchased – orange patent Kenzo heels, no less! 

Slow Food: Red-Tail Blog – Slow food in Australia that is good, clean and fair. I wish I’d found this one much earlier. GREAT blog!

Poodles: The Poodle & Dog Blog – a blog to celebrate the remarkable, the ordinary, and the very funny dogs that share our world. Enough said.

Sydney Eats: Grab Your Fork – Sydney eats, tasty travels and a feast of photos. Helen has been writing this award-winning blog for a while now. There’s a reason it is so popular…

I love the inter-web!

I think I’ll sign off now. I’ve rabbited on for long enough. But thanks again, to all of you, who pop in to This Sydney Life. I appreciate it. Every time.

TTFN. Ta Ta For Now! – A.A. Milne

* If you happen to be an expert on horoscopes, I haven’t done an in-depth study on my Ascendant sign or Moon sign. I readily acknowledge I am no professional in these matters.

** ‘Libra boxes’ – perhaps not the most appropriate term I could have chosen, hmmm?