Tasty Lamb Shank

I made this a couple of nights ago, it was very good. The sauces and spices used in this recipe go really well together, it makes for a delicious lamb shank recipe, a little different, from the more traditional beefy, veg lamb shanks

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons plain flour

1/2 Teaspoon Chinese five spice powder

4 Lamb shanks

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 Onion, finely chopped

4 Cloves garlic, crushed

1 Teaspoon chili flakes

1 Liter beef stock

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons oyster sauce1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 Teaspoon hoisin sauce

1 Teaspoon szechwan pepper, crushed

2 Star anise

1 Cinnamon stick

2 Teaspoons cornflour

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
2. Combine flour and 5 spice powder in bag.
3. Toss shanks in the seasoned flour.
4. Heat oil over stove to medium heat in oven proof casserole dish.
5. Brown shanks in oil on all sides.
6. Transfer to plate and set aside.
7. Add onion, garlic and chili to the same oven proof casserole dish and cook until onion softens.
8. Add stock, vinegar, sauces, spices and lamb, bring to boil.
9. Cover and place in oven for 1 1/2 hours.
10. Remove from oven and strain sauce into saucepan.
11. Combine cornflour with a little cold water.
12. Stir into the sauce and bring to boil.
13. Cook until thickened.
14. Poor over shanks.
15. This is nice served on wasabi mashed potatoes.

I Served mine on a bed of bok choy, topped with wasabi mashed potato and placed the shank on top of that.

Bourbon Steak

BOURBON MARINATED STEAKS

Serving Size: 6

INGREDIENTS:
6 Each T-bone Steaks or Rib Eye

3/4 Cup Olive oil

1/3 Cup Bourbon

1/4 Cup A-1® Steak Sauce

6 Cloves Garlic -- minced

Fresh Ground Black Pepper -- to taste


DIRECTIONS:


Place the steaks in a glass or ceramic bowl.

Mix marinade ingredients and pour over the steaks.

Marinate the steaks,covered and refrigerated, for 2 to 3 hours, turning them occasionally. Remove from refrigerator 20 to 30 minutes before cooking.

Cook steaks over a hot fire, 2 minutes on each side for rare, 3 minutes on each side for medium. Brush with the remaining marinade until done.

Discard any unused marinade.


NOTES: Total cooking time: 4 to 8 minutes, depending on rareness.

Feijoada

Feijoada (Brazilian Black Beans and Rice)

Everybody always says that you can eat whatever you want as long as You'do it in moderation. We say screw moderation! Moderation spawns temptation. Think about it: If you eat one itty bitty piece of chocolate, what happens? YOU WANT MORE CHOCOLATE! On the other hand, if you make a whole meal out of it and stuff yourself�

1 pound of black beans

1 pound of smoked sausage

1 pound of carne seca or 1/2 pound of bacon

4 pork shoulder bones and ears

2 small onions

2 garlic cloves

2 large bay leaves

2 cups of beef stock olive oil salt and fresh pepper very hot pepper sauce
Wash beans well and then leave themsoaking in

1 liter of water overnight.

On the next day, cook the beans and water on lowheat for about an hour with the beef stock.
While the beans are cooking, cut the meatsinto bite size chunks, put them all in a pan,cover them with water and boil them forabout ten minutes.

Chop the onions and the garlic finely and mixin random herbs and spices (a spice mix forsalads would work well here).

Heat threespoons of oil in a frying pan and fry the onionmixture until it caramelizes. Add a ladle fullof beans (which at this point should be soft)and mash it together with the fried onionmixture. Put the bay leaves into this mushand let it fry for a few minutes. Poureverything back into the beans.

Put the strained meats into the beans andadd a cup of water. Stir.
Add salt and hot pepper sauce to taste.

Serves 5 over rice. Can and should beserved with peeled oranges and boiled,salted and shredded collard greens. Todrink, prefer beer or caipirinha.

Notes: While the beans are cooking, stirthem occasionally because if they burn onthe bottom, the whole dish will becontaminated. Also, do not add salt to thebeans until the meats have been in it for awhile as these will tend to release their saltinto the water. The Feijoada will be readywhen the liquid is thick and flavorful.

Schweinshaxen

Roasted Pork Knuckles(Schweinshaxen)

One of the most popular dishes in Bavaria, this recipe is best suited for a weekend dinner with the family, since it requires a lot of preparation time.It also requires a trip to the butcher since a specific cut of meat is needed that typically cannot be found in your local supermarket. Attention to detail is necessary, as well as a hearty admiration for all things pork.

You should aim for about 6-8 pounds total weight . Consider as well that most butcher shops will need to "custom-cut" this for you, so plan ahead.

For about 4 persons:
· 1 front pig leg, bone-in, skin and fat still attached (IMPORTANT), 6 - 8 pounds total weight
· salt, fresh ground pepper
· Bay Leafs, whole peppercorns, 3- 5 twigs of Thyme, a few juniper berries
· 1 cup apple cider or malt vinegar
· 1 1/2 cups dark beer
· 1 small onion, chopped
· 1 stalk celery, chopped
· 1 medium carrot, chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, chopped
· 1 bottle cold beer of your choice

Fill a large pot with water and add the vinegar, 1 TBL salt, peppercorns, juniper berries, thyme and a few bay leafs and bring to a boil. Put in the pork knuckle and simmer until soft, approximate. 3 - 5 hours depending on weight.

Remove out of the brine and dry. With a sharp knife, score the skin and the fat, but be careful not to cut all the way through into the meat. Season liberally with salt pepper and some thyme and make sure to rub the seasoning well into the scores.

Heat a large roasting pan on your stovetop and sear the knuckle in a little oil, skin side down until the skin is nicely browned.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and roast the knuckle until the skin is crispy and internal temperature of the meat is 160 degrees. Brush with the dark beer every few minutes. Turn up the heat to 350F for the last 15 - 20 minutes and make sure the skin gets nice and crispy

Remove from the heat, cover with foil and let the meat rest while preparing the sauce:

On your stovetop add the onion, carrot and celery into the roasting pan and cook on medium heat until slightly brown.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

Deglaze the roasting pan with the rest of the dark beer and strain the sauce into a sauce pot. Season with salt and pepper and taste. If the flavor is too intense, add some water. It should be clear and not too thick. Don't thicken the sauce with roux or starch, this would be a mortal sin in Bavaria.

Recipe of Balinese Suckling Pig ( Babi Guling)

If there is just one dish people remember after a visit to Bali,it's this famous delicacy, usually known by its Indonesian name, Babi Guling.

Ingredients:

1 suckling pig, weighing about 6-8 kg (13-17 lb)
1 1/2 tablespoon salt
10 shallots, peeled and sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
5 cm (2 in) ginger, peeled and chopped
15 candlenuts, chopped
10 cm (4 in) fresh turmeric, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons coriander seeds, crushed
5 cm (2 in) laos finely chopped
25-30 bird's-eye chillies
10 stalks lemon grass, sliced
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed
1 teaspoon dried shrimp paste, roasted
5 fragrant lime leaves, finely shredded
2 salam leaves
2 1/2 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons turmeric water

Ensure the inside of the suckling pig is completely cleaned out. Season inside and outside with salt.

Combine all other ingredients, except turmeric water, and mix thoroughly. Fill the inside of the suckling pig with this mixture, close the belly with string or thin satay skewers.

Rub the outside of the pig with turmeric water until the skin is shiny yellow. Place the suckling pig on a roasting rack and roast in hot oven (220°C/425°F) for approximately one hour. Rest for 10 minutes in warm place before serving.

When serving, first remove the crisp skin with a strong carving knife, then loosen meat from the bones and cut into even dice or slices. Place a heaped tablespoon of stuffing on each serving plate, then top with meat and skin. Traditionally this dish is eaten with Jukut Nangka Mekuah and steamed rice.

Helpful hint:If you have a large barbecue with a rotisserie or constantly turning spit, you can cook the pig over charcoal for an authentic Balinese flavour.