Kim Laidlaw’s Quick Slow Cooking contains a bevy of recipes from around the world. And while the original recipe from half a planet away might not be prepared in a slow cooker, Kim’s particular expertise in this book is using that slow cooker to craft a meal that tastes authentic from the first bite to the last.
To match the original, Kim has six steps from start to finish: prep, building flavor, quick cooking, slow cooking, assembly and serving. It’s not a matter of put everything in the slow cooker, crank up the heat and walk away. This is real slow food, not fast and not necessarily easy.
Not every recipe in Quick Slow Cooking needs all her six steps but this one does. The result, she believes, is dish that is worthy of any dinner party, either here or in the south of France.
For Americans, if we eat lamb at all, it’s a springtime rite of passage. But in other parts of the world, lamb is more treasured. The French eat, on a per capita basis, 6 times as much lamb as we do. Still, that’s a paltry 3.3 pounds per person per year. According to the website procon.org, you would not want to be a sheep or goat in Iceland where they average 25 pounds of lamb/goat meet per year, out of a total of 94 pounds. I have no idea what is going on in Iceland, but the subways in New York City have ads from Icelandic Air offering a free stopover on your way to Europe. The ads don’t say anything about lamb.
Suz and I want to go to Provence. We want to see the lavender and sample the lamb. Maybe we’ll stop over in Iceland and taste the lamb, there too. Although, I don’t think their recipes will include olive oil, tomato, red wine, black olives and honey.
Maybe we’ll just go Air France direct. And, in the meantime, we can all sample the delight of this traditional French dish ala slow cooker.
This is lovely main course for a fall dinner with leaves, and the temperature, dropping.
Lamb Shanks with Olives and Herbs
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 4 pounds lamb shanks, in 4 equal pieces, each tied around the perimeter with kitchen string
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup hearty red wine
- 1 to 1 ½ cups strained tomatoes
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- ½ cup pitted black olives such as Kalamata
- 1 tablespoon mild honey
- 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
- Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish (optional)
Preparation:
PREP Season the lamb shanks generously with salt and pepper.
BUILD FLAVOR [optional] Put the slow-cooker insert on the stove top over medium-high heat, then add the oil and warm until hot. Add the lamb shanks and cook, turning as needed, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to a plate and set aside.
QUICK COOK If you have included the browning step, pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the insert and return the insert to medium- high heat. If you are starting here, put the slow-cooker insert on the stove top over medium-high heat, then add the oil and warm until hot. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the flour is fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Pour in the wine and simmer until it evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, orange juice, olives, honey, herbes de Provence, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper, stir well, and bring to a boil.
SLOW COOK Transfer the insert to the slow cooker and add the lamb shanks, submerging them in the liquid. Cover and cook on the low-heat setting for 7 hours. The lamb should be very tender.
ASSEMBLE Transfer the lamb shanks to a platter and cover to keep warm. Using a large spoon, skim off and discard as much fat as possible from the cooking liquid.
SERVE Snip the strings on the lamb shanks, then transfer the shanks to individual plates. Spoon the cooking juices over the shanks, garnish with the parsley (if using), and serve right away.
Source: Quick Slow Cooking by Kim Laidlaw [Weldon Owen, 2014]