Rosemary Lamb Shanks
 

“Rosemary” is a whimsically beautiful word.  “Shank” is…um…not.  However, when you throw “lamb” between those two, you get a lusciously braised, earthy Greek potlatch. 

 

With my brother Colin, sister-in-law Kathleen and nieces Jackie and Ellie visiting DC for an incredibly special, fun-filled week (including the below-pictured snowman building), we (including the incomparable Kathleen Galvan) couldn’t resist making this sumptuous dish as our farewell feast.


Kissing our new friend aptly named "Olaf" by Jackie and Ellie.  Pay particular note to Jackie's and Ellie's boots and short sleeves.  We grow them tough, smart and adorable in Oklahoma!



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My mother first started making Rosemary Lamb Shanks in the mid-90s – about the time we all looked like this (i.e. more fit, less old and, um, more hairy)…



Colin, Chris/Canon, Cason, Mom

This photo has assumed an almost iconic stature in our family (in fact, we even tried to replicate it a few times).  It was snapped in Seattle during a family trip to visit Cason.  Among other amazing highlights of the visit was our inaugural “Big Sammy” competition.  You see, my family loves allegedly friendly competitions.  These aren’t just competitions though.  There is pride to be won or lost, humiliation to be suffered or avoided…and, of course, hardware to be won in the form of ridiculous trophies (in the case of our Oscar competition, a life-size gold-hued Oscar trophy (which yours truly won this year)). 

The Big Sammy competition was the first of such competitions and was born out of a simple challenge between Colin and me as to who could make the better unnecessarily large submarine/hoagie/grinder sandwich.  With much fanfare, the sandwiches were prepared and sampled by the panel of judges.  Colin’s was a mess of mayonnaise, hot sauce and grilled chicken (kidding--it was very good) and mine was an Italian delicacy I learned to concoct during my illustrious three month tenure at Chuck E. Cheese during high school.

After the votes were tallied and dramatically unveiled, I emerged victorious…but not without controversy.  The allegation has been made but never proven that mom changed her vote to my sandwich because she thought I would be more devastated if I lost.  True or not (and, yes, I would have been an absolute boor if I had lost), it only demonstrated how loving everyone thought my mom was – sometimes to a fault.  Although I have not since won the sandwich contest again, that inaugural Big Sammy victory continues to be my life's greatest achievement--too bad I fizzled out at 27.

But I digress…

Rosemary Lamb Shanks are surprisingly easy to prepare.  You can find lamb shanks in most decent grocery stores or on www.dartagnan.com (where I bought the shanks used for this recipe).  My only recommendation as a change to mom’s recipe (a sacrilege, I know!) is a lower oven temperature (325 degrees, perhaps) and a longer amount of time in the oven (as long as it takes the lamb to come up to an internal temperature of about 150-160 degrees...probably 2 hours).

Experiment, expand, enjoy!

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Mom’s Recipe

Just the best!!!  I serve with roasted new potatoes or mashed potatoes and a fresh fruit salad [for our preparation Colin made absolutely incomparable mashed cauliflower).

2 Tbs. olive oil
6 (12-14o) lamb shanks, trimmed
2 carrots, cut on diagonal into 1/4” thick slices
2 celery stalks, cut on diagonal into ¼” slices
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3 C. dry red wine
1 C. low-salt chicken broth
1 C. canned beef broth
2 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary or 2 tsp. dried
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. cornstarch

Preheat oven to 375.  Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven [I used a roasting pan over two burners given the size of the shanks] over medium high heat.  Season shanks with salt and pepper.  Working in batches, add lamb to Dutch oven; brown on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch.  Transfer lamb to plate.  Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic to Dutch oven; sauté until light brown, about 4 minutes.  Add 1 ¾ C. red wine; bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits, about 2 minutes.  Add both broths, rosemary and bay leaves.  Return lamb to Dutch oven; cover.  Cook in oven until lamb is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Transfer lamb to platter.  Tent with foil.  Strain cooking liquid, reserving vegetables.  Discard bay leaves.  Return liquid to Dutch oven.  Boil liquid until reduced to 1 ½ Cups, about 10 minutes.  Mix remaining ¼ cup wine with corn starch until smooth.  Add to cooking liquid and simmer until thickened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.  Return lamb and vegetables to Dutch oven (can be prepared 1 day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.)

Simmer lamb until heated through.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Arrange lamb and vegetables on platter.  Spoon sauce over.  Garnish with fresh rosemary sprig, if desired.

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Our Greek friends Aristotle, Hippocrates, Archimedes, Pythagoras, Socrates and Homer surely philosophizing about the meaning of their soon-to-be short lives (cauliflower, carrots, celery, onions and other accoutrement joining them):

 

Always on the diagonal, per mi madre:

 

 The initial sear on any braise is key:

WINE and vegetables join in the festivities:

After our Greek friends returned to the bath, the finished product just out of the oven:

 

 

 A wonderful cheeseboard composed by Kathleen Galvan as an apertif:

And then the feast begins!

 

Italian Sausage and Peppers

This dish is another one that Mom would make for me when I was home. It is very easy and can be put together without much work. Makes a delicious but not diet friendly pasta.

Mom loved sausages...could be Italian sausage or kielbasa from the 7/11 she was a fan. I think one of her favorite meals was kielbasa and ranch beans. Someday I will put that "recipe" up on here.

This recipe combined her love of sausage and Italian food.

Italian Sausage braised with Peppers and Onions (4)

1/4 C. olive oil
8-10 Italian sausages (hot or sweet)
2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
2 green bell peppers, cut into strips
2 small onions, sliced
1/2 lb mushrooms quartered
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
1 14 oz can of tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
1 lb pasta


In a frying pan, heat olive oil and brown sausages on all sides. Might want a splatter screen as this gets messy. Remove sausages and set aside.





Add pepper, onions, mushrooms and garlic and saute until pepper are barely cooked. Add vinegar and tomato sauce. Return the sausages to the pan. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook about 30 minutes or until sausages are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. This makes lots of sauce and I serve over pasta with Parmesan cheese.

Oscar Night

Movies... My Mother loved movies. I think some of her happiest moments were in a dark theater with a big bag of popcorn and a Pepsi. She and I would often go to lunch and a movie when I was home from college and always had a great time. We joked until she passed about going to the Carebear movie together. She fell asleep after about 1 minute.

With this love of movies she was a big fan of the Oscars. We would all get together or call each other all night debating who should have won and who had a terrible dress. Then in 2000 we decided to start a family contest. We got serious about this and have this trophy.



It travels and reads that the winner must have seen and understood a majority of the movies. (This is for Bill but now he is the only one who sees all the movies) Mom however was too honest and would vote for what she thought was the best picture and not what she thought would win. Therefore, the family favorites trophy was created. You could vote your heart and there is a separate trophy. The last year that we played Mom won the family favorites and was so happy. The trophy now resides in AZ and hopefully that is where it will remain.

The contest was renewed for this year's Oscars and Canon won the family trophy after not having seen a single movie and Jorie won the favorites.

In honor of Oscar night I am giving the recipe for one of my favorite dishes of Mom's. She would make this all the time when I came home.

Chicken/Veal Scaloppini Beausejour (4)

Another one of Colin's favorites. Can also be done with chicken. Slice chicken breast in half horizontally and pound to about 1/4' thickness.



1 lb chicken or veal
2 tsp table salt
Ground pepper
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes
1 C. sliced mushrooms
1 lb pasta



Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Heat oil in skillet and when it starts to smoke add meat. Cook for 30 seconds per side. Place pieces on a plate and cover with foil.

Remove remaining oil from the pan and add butter, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and mushrooms. Add wine, scraping and stirring to dissolve any solids (fonde) on the bottom of the pan. Add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add meat back to pan to warm and serve with buttered pasta.

Burgers You "Flip Over"

There is a long running debate in our family over the derivation of the name of the recipe. Are they burgers that you flip over the stuffing the middle or are the burgers you are so excited about that they are burgers you "Flip Over"? Kathleen, my lovely wife, says that it is both and I am never one to disagree with her.

These are a quick weeknight meal and the great thing about them is the they are totally customizable to whatever ingredients you want to put in the middle. We always used green olives but now I might put roasted red peppers or sauteed mushrooms. I am not a meatloaf eater, but these never felt like meatloaf. I usually serve with mashed potatoes and a veggie. This is simple but can get as fancy as you might want.

The Team


The recipe (serves 4)

Burgers
1 lb ground beef
1 slice white bread (made into bread crumbs) or 8 saltine crackers (crumbled)
1 egg
several dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Inside (up to you)
green olives (sliced)
onions (diced)
mushrooms

Topping
Cheese
Bell Pepper cut into rings

Mix first four ingredients together. Make four rather large square patties about 1/4" thick. Put filling on 1/2 of the square and fold over. Pinch edges to seal.


Place burger on cooking sheet and bake in 425 oven for 20 minutes. Place bell pepper on top and cover with cheese. Bake for 5 minutes more.

* must be served with canned corn and fruit cocktail. (according to Mom).
I used lots of veggie to counteract effects of ground beef.

Finnan Haddie Chowder!

2/8/14

FINNAN HADDIE CHOWDER
 

Soup merely comforts your soul.  Chowder takes your exhausted, soggy, lifeless soul and, not only comforts it, but douses it with enriching foody goodness that rekindles your mortal essence...i.e. delicious butter, cream and everything in between.

Ok, that might be a little overreaching but, having been down with a bad cold for a week, my goal last Saturday night was to make a dish that would be nourishing and lift my spirits at the same time.  What could be better than a wonderful Canadian chowder with a great beat and a good backstory?  My mother’s Finnan Haddie Chowder.

• The Backstory

1976.  Cason = six.  Colin = less than zero (but in mom’s womb).  Me = four...and looking something like this (apparently needing a haircut and wearing a shirt fit for a 12 year old):

Living in Philadelphia at the time, we went on a family driving jaunt to Halifax, Nova Scotia.   Despite my mere quatrain of existence, I remember the trip fondly.  Boat rides in the scenic harbor, endless games of “rip-a-tear-tear” in the car (a simple game – Cason and I essentially shredded a mountain of tissues in the backseat much to our parents’ delight), my dad teaching us how to identify various tree varietals…But the longest-lasting memory has, of course, been Finnan Haddie Chowder.

Here’s how we discovered this magnificent but simple chowder:  We stayed in a sleepy inn in Halifax where the matriarch made this most sumptuous creamy chowder served with warm, thick, rustic oatmeal bread.  We had never had it before but enjoyed the dish so heartily that my mom mustered the courage to ask for the recipe.  As we were preparing to leave the inn to head back to Philadelphia, we were reluctantly given the recipe for this smoked haddock (“finnan haddie” is a Scottish term for this delicacy) chowder, a generous loaf of oatmeal bread and a fond farewell.

None of us has ever returned to Nova Scotia but my mom made sure Finnan Haddie Chowder returned to us often (it was one of Colin’s first meals in the womb, after all!).  On an occasional cold winter’s night when my mother could find smoked haddock (which is sometimes difficult), she would lovingly prepare this remarkably simple dish…always to our sheer delights. 

You wouldn’t think children (or people who don’t love fish) would enjoy a smoked fish chowder.  But think of smoked haddock not as tasting fishy at all.  Instead, think of it as tasting very much like bacon – it has all of the richness and saltiness of bacon but with a flakey texture and a smoky flavor that is truly unique.

Per my mom’s mantra to “experiment, expand and enjoy”, I have added leeks (because I love potato and leek soup) and a garnish of chopped green onion to the recipe.  I hope you take a bit of time to prepare this exceedingly simple dish on your next cold winter’s eve and experiment as well…enjoy!

• The Recipe From Mom’s Cookbook (1996)…

Finnan Haddie Chowder

1 Finnan Haddie broken into bite-sized pieces
2 large russet potatoes, peeled, cut into large chunks
1 large onion, diced
(1 large leek, chopped)
(1 green onion, chopped for garnish)
3 Tbs. Butter
3 cups (more or less) whole milk (or cream)

Sautee onions (and leeks) in melted butter over medium heat until wilted and turning a golden color.  Add milk and potatoes to pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are almost tender. Add Finnan Haddie and continue simmering til heated through and potatoes are done. Be careful as you stir that Haddie doesn’t break up too much. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Careful, not too much salt as fish is salty.

*Finnan Haddie is smoked Haddock. You can get it at most seafood stores or fish markets.

• The Pictorial Cooking Process

The Assemble Ready to Perform (with beverage pairings, dark wheat bread and a festive lantern.  *Old-Timey Lantern is not required but is recommended to make the chowder feel like it is being made in the galley of a Canadian schooner (and we all look better in candle/lamp light anyway). *Not pictured is my wonderful sous chef, Kathleen Galvan, who made sure my glass was never empty and my spirits always high.):

Vegetables Preparing for the Dance:

 

As Billy Idol Sang… “Sweat, sweat, sweat”…

Milk and Potatoes Join in the Chorus:

Mr. Haddock Enters Stage Right:

The Final Curtain Call (paired with a martini with a chili-stuffed olive – for me, martinis go amazingly well with anything salty and the chili gave the meal a little extra umph):

And for the Encore…(Haagen Daz Caramel Cone ice cream with a warm chocolate chip cookie, drizzle of chocolate syrup and, of course, a tawny port!):

BON APPETIT!

Roasted Pesto Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Vegetables

My Mom had a love hate relationship with chicken. On one hand she called it the tofu of the meat world and would avoid it at nearly every restaurant that she went. On the other hand she loved Popeye's fried chicken and had to get it every time she came to Tulsa. At home she loved chicken because it is the tofu of the meat world and you can make it taste of whatever flavors you put with it. She loved pesto and the taste of summer that came with it.

Tonight I made my Mom's pesto roasted chicken, roasted veggies and garlic mashed potatoes. The only changes was that I used some different veggies and I used homemade pesto.

Tip: If you grow a garden in the summer, plant basil and make pesto but don't put cheese in in the pesto. Freeze the pesto is a muffin tin and when frozen take the little pesto pucks out and keep in a baggie in your freezer. This is a great way to enjoy pesto year around.

Tip: If you make you own pesto use walnuts instead of pine nuts. Walnuts are 1/3 of the cost of pine nuts and don't burn or go bad as quickly.

The team all assembled



Mom's cookbook recipe as written by my Mom if you see something in ( ) that is me talking. It probable means I changed something a little bit but I want to preserve the recipe as she wrote them.

Roast Pesto Chicken (4)

I roast my Thanksgiving turkey this way when Colin isn't home. The pesto keeps the bird moist and the pesto flavor isn't heavy.

Serve with Parmesan Potatoes and sauteed broccoli with red bell peppers. Makes a very colorful dinner. Many kudos for this dinner and requests for the recipe. (I used different vegges this night.)


1 large roast chicken, 6-7 lbs (I used a 4 lb organic chicken. These were not readily available when the book was written.)
1 7 oz. container of purchased pest sauce. (see tip above)
3 Tbs white wine
3/4 C. plus 2 Tbs chicken broth
2 Tbs. flour
3 Tbs. whipping cream
fresh basil leaf garnish

Pat chicken dry. Slide hand between chicken skin and meat over breast and legs to form pockets. Reserve 1 Tbs. pesto for gravy; spread remaining pesto under the skin and over the breasts and legs, in cavity and over outer skin. Tie legs together to hold shape. Tuck wings under body. Place in a large roasting pan. (can be done 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill)

Preheat oven to 405. Roast chicken for 15 minutes. Reduce temp. to 375 and roast until juices run clear, basting with pan juices (about 1 hour, 15 minutes) (I don't recommend basting but you can if you want. I would cook until instant thermometer read 165 in the thigh) Transfer to platter and  keep warm.

Pour pan juices into a glass measuring cup, degrease. Add wine to roasting pan and bring to boil, scrapping up any browned bits. Add wine mixture and any drippings from the platter to pan juices. Add enough broth to measure 1 cup. Transfer to a heavy saucepan. Combine 2 Tbs. of broth and flour in a bowl; stir until smooth. Add ti saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Boil until reduce to sauce consistency, stirring often about 5 minutes. Mix in cream and reserved 1 Tbs. pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish chicken with basil if desired.

Mashed Potatoes with Buttermilk and Garlic 

This healthful version is made smooth with low-fat buttermilk and is flavored with plenty of garlic that has been tamed by simmering

2 lbs. russet potatoes, cut into 1" pieces ( I used Yukon golds)
10 garlic cloves, peeled
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1/2-1 C. low-fat buttermilk

Combine potatoes, garlic, bay leaf and salt in a medium saucepan. add enough water to cover potatoes. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; discard bay leaf. Return potatoes and garlic to same sauce pan. Mash. heat buttermilk in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir in enough buttermilk into potatoes to achieve desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Roasted Vegetables

8 large asparagus spears
2 med. red onions
4 med. carrots
2 medium zucchini
1/2 lb. shitake or other mushrooms
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 Tbs dried thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 400. Trim woody stems from asparagus. Peel onions and cut into halves. Scrub carrots but do not peel. Cut Zucchini lengthwise. Remove stems from mushrooms

Arrange all the vegetables in a flat pan or a roasting pan in one layer. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme to taste. Roast until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Turn, brush again with olive oil and roast another 15 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife.


Finished product

Martha Manning Morgan was my mother and I loved her dearly. She passed way on June 8th, 2013 at 69 years old. I think about her everyday and there is hole in my heart that will not be filled. In 1996  she gave myself and my brothers a cookbook of family recipes and her favorites. This past year I asked my oldest brother, Cason Swindle, if he had a clean copy of the cookbook and luckily he did.

This year intend to cook my way through the book. I will provide recipes, pictures and stories about the dishes and my family. I have two girls and a lovely wife and I want to preserve these stories and recipes for them as well as myself. I hope whomever reads this gets a sense of what an amazing women my mother was and what a special relationship she had with me and my whole family.

The page of the cookbook read as follows: 

                                                                                                                  AUGUST, 1996

TO MY CHILDREN:

The recipes included in this cookbook have been saved over a number of years. The selections were chosen with the potential future in mind. I know you don't do much entertaining now but in the years to come you may find your palate becoming more sophisticated and your entertain more lavish. I tried to include recipes for everyone's tastes. 

I will continue to add to the books as I find recipes. I think you will enjoy. 

Experiment, expand, enjoy!!

I love you all very much, 

Mom

So over this year I make it my mission to experiment, expand and enjoy my life in every way possible.