Shanking the Lamb.

My father loves lamb. He affirms that it's the main part of his hypothetical last meal. I'm sure it has to do with connecting to his childhood in Pakistan where goat and lamb were as commonplace as chicken and beef. Olfaction is said to be the most acute of all the senses in terms of conjuring memories. So it was no surprise when I cooked dinner for his birthday that the gamy smell of slow cooking lamb wafting throughout the house would bring up pleasant memories for him.

The shank of the lamb, or any animal for that matter, is the section between the knee and the ankle. Lamb shanks have tons of flavor as well as connective tissue and marrow. This makes lamb shanks conducive to slow cooking methods. Slow cooking helps the connective tissue and marrow in the shank really melt and break down into pure deliciousness. Enough talking.

Slow Braised North African Lamb Shanks with Israeli Couscous

for the lamb:

4 Lamb Shanks (about 1.25 lbs. each)
1 large onion sliced
4 large tomatoes chopped
4 cloves garlic sliced
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup red wine or beer
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 ground coriander (you can substitute an extra 1/2 tsp of cumin)
1/4 tsp chili powder/cayenne pepper
olive oil
salt and pepper
chopped chives for garnish

for the couscous:

2 cups Israeli couscous (it's just like regular couscous but it has larger grains)
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cups slivered almonds
2 tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place a large heavy bottomed all-metal pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Coat the bottom of the pot with olive oil. Meanwhile season the shanks on all sides with salt and pepper. Brown the shanks, in batches of two, on all sides, 1o minutes per batch. Remove the shanks from the pot and set aside. Add the onions and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, 3-4 mins. Add the wine or beer and using a wooden spoon scrape off the little bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes, beef stock, cumin, coriander, chili powder and season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. After the mixture comes to a boil nestle the shanks in the pot. Cover and place in the oven for 3 hours.

The shanks will be tender and almost falling off the bone. Remove them carefully from the pot. Strain the braising liquid to remove the solids. Return the remaining mixture to the pot and place over medium heat. Simmer the liquid until it reduces by half.

To prepare the couscous place a pot over medium low heat and add the olive oil. When its heated add the couscous. Stir the couscous continually until it turns a light brown color and has a nutty aroma. Then add the beef broth. Bring the mixture to a boil then turn the heat off cover the pot for 7 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and add the almonds.

To serve, scoop some couscous onto a plate. Place the shank on top and pour a few spoonfuls of the reduced braising liquid on top. Sprinkle with the chives.

Shout out to my pops: Kebabs

I grew up eating all sorts of kebabs; lamb, chicken, beef maybe even some goat thrown in there too. All kebabs are all born out of the fact that there was very little cooking fuel available in the Middle East during ancient times. This made it difficult to cook large animals or heat large cooking vessels. Most people are familiar with shish kebabs which are chunks of meat and vegetables cooked on a skewer. I, however, grew up mostly eating seekh kebabs which are spiced ground meat kebabs. They are native to Pakistan, where my father is from. For my kebab recipe you can use ground lamb, beef or turkey. The lamb is the most traditional and delicious and you lose that hearty meat flavor as you go down the line.

1 lb. ground lamb, beef or turkey
1 tbsp. garlic paste (or finely minced)
1 tbsp. ginger paste (or finely minced)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 tsp. garam masala (if you don’t have it use curry powder or a mixture of cumin and turmeric)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp chili powder or cayenne pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and combine well. Now you have many cooking options. The most traditional way would be to form long sausage shaped kebabs around skewers and then line them up above a roasting pan so the meat isn’t touching the pan. Set your broiler to low and place the kebabs in the oven. Rotate them every few minutes to they brown and cook through. Cook no more then 15 minutes in total. If it is warm outside you could go through the same skewering process and throw them on the grill. Another good option is to turn them into hamburgers as they are certainly an interesting twist to an old favorite. However you decide to cook them I suggest you make a tiny test patty and cook it on the stove top to check the seasoning. You don’t want to cook the entire batch and realize you didn't put enough salt or garlic in. I stick with the traditional and broil them. You can serve them with pita and salad, or with couscous or rice.