This lovely Latin lamb shanks recipe is the result of a little experiment I just did with the help of my friends from Imusa. You all know how much I love my Le Creuset Dutch oven, but I realize the high cost puts it over the budgets of most home cooks. So, I was interested to see how this "caldero," which costs under $30 would perform.
The model they sent me looked like a Dutch oven, but was so incredibly light that I really wasn't sure how it would work. I assumed the caldero would be fine for the browning step, and it was. My main concern was would the ultra lightweight lid be heavy enough to keep in enough moisture?
To my surprise it did very well. As you'll see, we only add a cup of broth to braise the lamb, and it didn't even come close to drying out. So, if you are looking for a really light and inexpensive Dutch oven, this one performed well in regards to cooking the food. Of course, I can't give any opinions on the durability, and how this would stand up to normal wear and tear, but you can check online user reviews for those issues. The recipe itself is very straightforward. You don't often see lamb cooked with these spices, and I'm not sure why, as they really work together wonderfully. The final plate ended up being a sort of North African/Central American fusion thing, with the fragrantly spiced meat and peppers resting on a simple bed of couscous.
Please note: I was using relatively small lamb shanks for this recipe. If you are using larger hind shanks, then you will need a longer braising time, probably 30 minutes more at least. Either way, I hope you give this comforting lamb recipe a try. Enjoy!
Disclosure:Imusa sent the caldero to me free of charge, and also contributed to the production costs of this video recipe. For more information on this product you can contact Imusa directly, or check out the product page here. Thanks!
Ingredients: 4 lamb shanks salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste vegetable oil as needed 1 onion, sliced 4 cloves garlic, sliced 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed 3-4 large jalapeños, seeded, cut in strips 1 red bell pepper, seeded, cut in strips 1/4 cup chopped cilantro View the complete recipe
This video recipe for butternut squash cakes is a team effort between me and my friend, Stephanie Stiavetti, from Wasabimon.com. Stephanie eats gluten-free, and since this is one area I have very little experience in, I gladly accepted her invitation to come over and film a GF dish.
I'm notoriously reclusive when working, so it was nice to get out for an afternoon of tag-team food blogging. We thought it would be fun to shoot the video together, but then each of us edit and post our own versions. I'm looking forward to seeing Stephanie's, and I hope she enjoys mine!
With all due respect to Stephanie's performance with the "meat cleaver mirror" at the beginning of the video, the star of the show are these lovely, and very simple, squash cakes – little more than a shredded butternut squash patty, spiced with curry, and fried up to crispy-edged perfection.
Keys to this recipe's gluten-freeness are the two flours we used to bind the mixture. A corn flour, and a flour made from fava and garbanzo beans. They come from Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods, a company that if you eat GF, or know someone who does, you're probably familiar with. I've included this store finder link for Bob's Red Mill, in case you're interested.
Whether you're eating gluten-free or not, this is just a really nice, and very easy, winter dish. I hope you give it a try, and I'll be sure to let you know when Stephanie posts her video. Enjoy!
Ingredients for about 4 butternut squash cakes : A few tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil 1/4 cup diced onions or shallots 2 cups packed grated raw butternut squash 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon curry powder 1 large eggs 1/4 cup garbanzo and fava bean flour, also known as "garfava" flour (try Bob's Red Mill brand) 3 tablespoons corn flour (NOT masa - again, try Bob's Red Mill brand) sour cream and pumpkin seeds for garnish, optional
You can get more information about their book in this post, and you're interested in ordering a copy, you can do that on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Powell's right now. Enjoy!
Hey, you can't say I'm not easy to shop for! As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I decided not to do a holiday donation fundraiser for the blog this year. Happily, because of all the new projects, I didn’t feel the urgent need to beg for money to keep afloat like past years. Also, I've decided I'd like something more important than money. I'd like links.
For a site that gets as much traffic as we do, there are relatively few other websites that link to Food Wishes. One problem with spending 95% of my time on production and the creative process is that it leaves very little time to surf the web, reading and commenting on other blogs, or even just doing basic networking.
So, if you're willing and able, I'd love some help getting a few extra links. If you have a blog, or know someone who does, and you think we'd be a valuable resource to them (for example, people that like food and cooking), then hook us up. If enough of you just got us one single extra link on another site, it would make a significant difference in our web ranking.
Above and beyond that, those of you that use sites like Digg, Stumbleupon, Reddit, and of course Twitter and Facebook, can also help spread the word there, where appropriate. Every little bit helps! A million thanks for everything you've already done to support the site this year, and if you have any questions or leads, and would like more info, please email me and we can discuss one-to-one. Cheers!
There is something comforting about the minute steak. It's probably the fact that the name of the recipe is also the recipe. You take piece of sirloin, pound it thin, and fry it for a minute per side. That's it. Simple, faster than fast, and easily repeated under pressure.
Of course, everyone knows that a minute steak is only as good as the pan sauce, and here we offer an ultra-simple barbecue butter sauce. Actually, there's only a very small amount of butter, but the way it emulsifies into the beef broth and tangy BBQ sauce somehow amplifies the effect.
Be sure to use a great barbecue sauce. The SFQ I used is a rich, classic American barbecue sauce with a touch of chocolate, hint of coffee, and balanced with aged red wine vinegar. It's subtly exotic spices and sweet heat made it a perfect choice here.
Ideally, you'll follow the link below and order some, but if not, make sure the sauce you choose has some personality to it. You'll also want to taste the sauce plain beforehand, so that you can adjust the seasonings in the pan. I hope you find the time to make this soon. Enjoy!
As many of you may already know, my wife, Michele, makes what I think is a fantastic, and very unique barbecue sauce. Some of you actually got to sample it last year as we offered to all those loyal viewers who were able to make a donation to the site.
This year we aren’t doing any such fundraisers, but that doesn’t mean you can't experience the SFQ. Michele just launched her website, and I invite you to head over and take a look! By the way, if you order by December 18th, your order will arrive in time for Christmas. Thank you for your support!
Ingredients:
2 (5-oz) minutes steaks
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon grapeseed or vegetable oil
For the sauce:
1/2 cup beef broth
1 1/2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1 or 2 teaspoons cold butter
hot sauce to taste
freshly ground black pepper View the complete recipe
This lovely Latin lamb shanks recipe is the result of a little experiment I just did with the help of my friends from Imusa. You all know how much I love my Le Creuset Dutch oven, but I realize the high cost puts it over the budgets of most home cooks. So, I was interested to see how this "caldero," which costs under $30 would perform.
The recipe itself is very straightforward. You don't often see lamb cooked with these spices, and I'm not sure why, as they really work together wonderfully. The final plate ended up being a sort of North African/Central American fusion thing, with the fragrantly spiced meat and peppers resting on a simple bed of couscous.
