Lamb Shank And Roasted Red Capsicum Bell Pepper Ragu Recipes

LAMB SHANK & SWEET PEPPER RAGù

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 300°F.
• Put the can of tomatoes and their juices in a food processor and process until puréed. Using a spatula or the back of a ladle, press the purée through a medium-mesh sieve set over a bowl to remove the seeds
• Pat the lamb shanks dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread the flour in a wide, shallow dish and dredge the shanks lightly in the flour.
• Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a 7- to 8-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the shanks and cook, turning a few times, until they are golden brown on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the shanks to a large plate, discard the fat, and clean the pan with paper towels.
• Heat the remaining 1/4 cup oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it's pale gold and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and pepper flakes, stir for 1 minute, and add the bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, until the peppers begin to color and soften a little, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Return the shanks to the pan and stir them around with the pepper mixture. Increase the heat to high, add the wine, and stir until the wine is reduced approximately by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 3/4 cup of broth, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Stir until the liquid begins to simmer.
• Turn off the heat, cover the pan tightly with a lid or heavy-duty aluminum foil, and put it in the oven. Cook, turning the shanks every half hour or so, until the meat begins to fall off the bone, 2 to 2-1/2 hours.
• Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the shanks to a cutting board. When the shanks are cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones, discarding any fat and connective tissue. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces. Stir the meat into the sauce and bring it back to a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring a few times, until the sauce has a medium-thick consistency and a rich, reddish color, 5 to 10 minutes. If the sauce seems too dry, stir in some or all of the remaining broth. Discard the bay leaf, adjust the seasoning with salt, and turn off the heat.

CARAMELIZED RED BELL PEPPERS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• In a hot saucepan over a medium heat, combine red peppers, onion, oil and butter; saute for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions and peppers soften.
• If desired, stir red wine into the vegetables and cook until the wine evaporates; approximately 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and basil.

LAMB SHANK AND ROASTED RED CAPSICUM (BELL PEPPER) RAGU

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy based casserole and brown shanks over a medium heat, then remove from heat and set aside.
• Add one more tablespoon olive oil to the same pan and add onion, celery and garlic and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the wine and bring to the boil, scraping up any pieces stuck to the bottom of the pan.
• Return the lamb shanks to the casserole and simmer covered for 20 minutes over a low heat. Add the remaining ingredients except the chopped parsley and simmer a further 10 minutes.
• Transfer to a 180c oven and cook, covered, for 2 hours or until meat is almost falling from the bone.
• Remove lamb and parsley-discard parsley, cool lamb slightly then shred meat with fingers, discarding bones and fat.
• Simmer sauce until reduced by one third, then return lamb to pan and heat through (about 5 minutes).
• Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper, stir the sliced parsley through and serve over a pasta such as papperdelle (a wide, flat one) with parmesan or pecorino cheese.

POLENTA SHAPES WITH ROASTED RED BELL PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring stock to a boil.
• Slowly pour in polenta, stirring with a whisk as you add it. After all polenta is added it will take about 2 minutes for it to begin to thicken. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking and stirring occasionally for approximately 40 minutes, or until polenta is smooth, and no longer gritty on the tongue. Just before finishing, stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano and thyme.
• In a 9 by 12-inch baking dish, add 1 tablespoon water. Transfer polenta to baking dish and spread until it is of uniform thickness. Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until it solidifies.
• To make roasted red bell pepper sauce, roast the red and poblano peppers whole over a gas flame, a charcoal flame or under a broiler, turning 1/4 rotation every few minutes, until entirely blackened. Immediately place in a paper bag, seal, and let sit for 3 minutes. Peel off the charred skin and discard. Slice the peeled peppers open and discard the membranes and seeds
• In a saute pan over medium heat, heat the butter and add the shallots. Cook for about 6 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the shallots just begin to show signs of browning.
• Add the stock, 2 roasted bell peppers, poblano chili, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. (Adjust heat as required to simmer.)
• Remove from heat and let cool. In a food processor or blender, add pan contents along with the remaining red peppers, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. Reserve.
• Use a cookie cutter or a pairing knife to cut out desired polenta shapes. In a saute pan over medium high heat, add oil and saute polenta shapes for approximately 5 minutes per side, or until a golden brown crispy crust has formed on each side.
• Just before serving, re-heat sauce in a saucepan and stir in cream. Ladle 2/3 cup of roasted red bell pepper sauce into a shallow bowl. Top with one piece of polenta. Serve immediately.
• Recommended beverage: Italian Chianti (red)

LAMB AND RED PEPPER KEBABS

Steps:

• Cut lamb into 32 pieces, each about 1 1/4 inches. In a large heavy-duty plastic sealable bag combine lamb and 3/4 cup marinade and seal bag, pressing out excess air. Marinate lamb, chilled, 1 day.
• Cut bell peppers into thirty-two 2- by 1 1/2-inch pieces and blanch in a large saucepan of boiling water 30 seconds. Drain peppers in a colander and, while still hot, in a bowl stir together with 1/4 cup marinade. Marinate peppers, covered and chilled, 1 day.
• Prepare grill. Soak skewers in warm water 30 minutes.
• Drain lamb, discarding marinade. In a sieve set over a bowl drain peppers and reserve marinade for basting. Thread 4 pepper pieces and 4 lamb pieces, alternating pepper with lamb, onto each skewer. Kebabs may be assembled 1 hour ahead and chilled, covered.
• Grill kebabs on a lightly oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals, basting with reserved marinade and turning them occasionally, about 12 minutes total for medium-rare meat. (Alternatively, broil kebabs under a preheated broiler 2 to 3 inches from heat about 4 minutes on each side.) Drizzle kebabs with remaining 1/4 cup marinade.

PASTA WITH BRAISED LAMB SHANK RAGù

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in 4-quart ovenproof casserole. Add pancetta, lightly brown and remove. Add lamb shanks, brown on all sides and remove. Lower heat; add onions, garlic and rosemary. Sauté until soft. Add white wine. Scrape pan, return pancetta and lamb to casserole, season with salt and pepper, then cover and bake 90 minutes, turning lamb once.
• Remove lamb from casserole. Cut meat from bones, trimming off fat and gristle. Finely dice meat and add to casserole. Add tomatoes and red pepper. Simmer on top of stove one hour. Check seasoning.
• Boil pasta until al dente, drain, toss with sauce, and serve with pecorino for dusting.

ROASTED RED CAPSICUM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C and place the capsicums on a baking tray and cook for 15 minutes, or until the skin has blistered and turned slightly black.
• Place the capsicums in a plastic bag until cool.
• Peel the skin off the capsicums, trim any pith and remove all the seeds.
• Place the capsicum flesh into hot sterilised jars.
• Pour in the olive oil to cover.
• Seal immediately and store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH PEPPERS

Steps:

• Pat dry lamb shanks. In a heavy casserole or Dutch oven that will hold all the shanks, heat oil on medium-high. Add lamb shanks and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove to a platter. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low.
• Add bell peppers and onions to the pan. Sauté, stirring, until the vegetables wilt and just begin to color, 5 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, dill seed, paprika and cinnamon. Stir. Add stock and wine. Bring to a simmer. Stir in tomato paste and oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in lemon juice. Return lamb shanks to the pot along with any juices on the platter. Cover them with a piece of parchment or waxed paper, cover pot with lid, reduce heat to very low and cook about 2 hours, basting the shanks occasionally and turning them at least once until the meat is very tender when pierced with a knife.
• Remove shanks from the pot. Increase heat to medium and reduce sauce by about a third, about 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Return shanks to the pot, baste and reheat. Serve directly from the casserole or transfer to a serving dish. Strew with fresh dill before serving.