Tag Archives: braising

Lamb Shanks Braised in Red Wine with Herbes de Provence

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This uncomplicated America’s Test Kitchen recipe is truly a company-worthy, memorable main dish. Braising lamb shanks turns a richly flavored but tough cut of meat meltingly tender. However, the high fat content of lamb can all too often lead to a greasy sauce—not a pleasant memory.

To avoid this pitfall, trim the shanks well and then brown them before adding liquid to get a head start on rendering their fat. Also, defat the braising liquid after the shanks have cooked. There is more liquid than is called for in many braises to guarantee that plenty remains in the pot despite about an hour of uncovered cooking.

For starters, we only purchased 4 lamb shanks since it was going to be just the two of us, keeping the quantity of most everything at the same amount — except the carrots, which doubled. And we roasted some baby potatoes seasoned with herbes de Provence separately. We were thrilled to get another meal out of the braise because it was beyond delicious!

NOTES: Côtes du Rhône works particularly well here. If you can’t locate herbes de Provence, substitute a mixture of one teaspoon each of dried thyme, rosemary, and marjoram. If you’re using smaller shanks than the ones called for in this recipe, reduce the braising time.

Lamb Shanks Braised in Red Wine with Herbes de Provence

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 6 (12- to 16-oz.) lamb shanks, trimmed
  • 1 tsp. plus a pinch table salt
  • 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
  • 3 carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 onions, sliced thick
  • 2 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Tbsp. herbes de Provence
  • 2 cups dry red wine
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • Ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pat lamb shanks dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium- high heat until just smoking. Brown 3 shanks on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer shanks to large plate and repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining 3 shanks.
  2. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot. Add carrots, onions, celery, tomato paste, garlic, herbes de Provence, and remaining pinch salt and cook until vegetables just begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in wine, then broth, scraping up any browned bits; bring to simmer. Nestle shanks, along with any accumulated juices, into pot.
  3. Return to simmer and cover; transfer pot to oven. Cook for 1½ hours. Uncover and continue to cook until tops of shanks are browned, about 30 minutes. Flip shanks and continue to cook until remaining sides are browned and fork slips easily in and out of shanks, 15 to 30 minutes longer.
  4. Remove pot from oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Using tongs, transfer shanks and vegetables to large plate and tent with aluminum foil. Skim fat from braising liquid and season liquid with salt and pepper to taste. Return shanks to braising liquid to warm through before serving.

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Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen

Braised Asparagus with Lemon and Chives

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Here, braising coaxes asparagus’s gentler side into the spotlight. It’s not the typical crisp-tender, not browned, nor vibrant green—but it may end up being one of your favorite ways to cook the spears. The vegetable is vigorously simmered in a copious amount of liquid, allowing the braising liquid to evaporate, leaving behind a light glaze that coats the asparagus.

As Cook’s Illustrated mentions, the crisp bite gives way to silkiness; the fresh vegetal flavor evolves into more-complex sweet nuttiness, and the braising liquid can travel into the spears, seasoning them inside and out.

The dish is finished with a less-is-more approach adding just a splash of acidity and a handsome sprinkle of fresh herbs to accentuate the vegetable’s sweet flavor.

FYI, this recipe is best with asparagus spears that are at least ¾ inch thick. We bought ours picked fresh at a local farm market. The benefit of thicker spears is you can peel off their firm, waxy skin without whittling them down to toothpicks.

Braised Asparagus with Lemon and Chives

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb. thick asparagus
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup chicken broth
  • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ tsp. table salt
  • ¼ tsp. grated lemon zest plus 1 tsp. juice
  • 2 tsp. minced fresh chives, divided

Directions

  1.  Trim bottom inch of asparagus spears; discard trimmings. Peel bottom two-thirds of spears until white flesh is exposed.
  2. Bring water, broth, oil, and salt to simmer in 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add asparagus in even layer. Reduce heat to maintain vigorous simmer and cover. Cook, gently shaking skillet occasionally, until asparagus is tender and can be easily pierced with tip of paring knife, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Remove lid and continue to cook, shaking and swirling skillet, until skillet is almost dry and asparagus is glazed, 1 to 3 minutes longer.
  4. Off heat, add lemon zest and juice and half of chives and toss to coat.
  5. Transfer asparagus to platter, sprinkle with remaining chives, season with salt to taste, and serve.

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