Drawing inspiration from the Christmas focus on the birth of the Lamb of God as Saviour to the world – an act remembered by believers with the Lord’s Supper, this hearty recipe of luxurious layers of flavour crafts together ingredients symbolic of these traditions with culinary influences rooted in different continents – the perfect yuletide mains in wintry Stockholm for sharing peace, love, joy and good will with friends and family the world over.
Ingredients:
3 lamb shanks, coated all over with plain flour
3 large red onions, peeled and each segmented into 8
2 large potatoes, cut into 2.5 cm sided cubes
3 large carrots, cut into 2.5 cm thick discs
850 ml water
250 ml red wine
3 cubes beef stock
25 g balacan*
2 tsp harissa**
4 dried bay leaves
1 tsp ground lemon myrtle leaves***
2 tsp dried bouquet garni
1 tsp za’atar****
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp dried rose petals, grounded
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried tarragon
1 grapefruit, 8 large pieces of peel set aside
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
Salt
2-4 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in a little water
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 g fresh coriander, leaves only
Notes:
* A fermented shrimp paste used in South East Asian and Southern Chinese cooking.
** A Maghrebi hot chilli pepper paste common in Tunisia, Libya, Morocco and Syria.
*** A subtropical rainforest native in Queensland, Australia used by Aboriginals for cooking.
****A blend of Middle Eastern herbs with roots in Levantine cuisine.
Instructions:
- Put in cast iron pot flour-coated shanks, onions, harissa, balacan, dried herbs and spices, grapefruit peel, ketchup, beef stock, water and wine.
- Bring to boil covered over a high flame; gently simmering covered for 1.5 hours; adding in potatoes and carrots when 30 minutes of cooking is left.
- With pot still simmering, season with salt to taste; thickening gravy with dissolved cornstarch.
- Remove bay leaves and grapefruit peels; adding peas to warm through in 30 to 45 seconds.
- To serve with warmed baguette, place shank on dinner plate; heaping on veg and gravy and garnishing with coriander.
Serves 3
Photo credit: Frank Shen
