VANCOUVER — There is no question this is the best time of the year for braising. The reason is simple: Braising, a long and slow method of cooking, is unbelievably soothing and comforting in the cooler months.
One of the things I love most about braising is the aroma it creates in the kitchen. It reminds me of when I was a kid and the smell of my mother's Sunday night roast would pour into my bedroom.
Those smells are among the reasons I became a cook. When the rain keeps coming throughout the winter in Vancouver, my wife and kids are always asking for Daddy's "braised goodies."
There are many classic braised dishes, but among my favourites are pot-au-feu (which is normally made with red meat but I have done several times with poultry), boeuf bourguignon, which is prepared in a similar way to the lamb shanks in the recipe below, and blanquette de veau, a delicious simmered veal served in a white sauce. And two dishes that are close to my heart from my days cooking in Alsace are baekeoffe, a classic dish made of beef, lamb and pork braised in riesling, and choucroute garnie à l'alsacienne, a real meaty treat with sauerkraut and lots of pork.
I also love ravioli, and this combination with braised meat is superb. When you mix the braised shanks with caramelized onions and add some of the rich, delicious jus to the filling, you don't even need sauce for the dish; the ravioli are amazing on their own.
You also have the choice to simply use the shanks as a main course with mashed potatoes or, even better, creamy polenta.
Braised lamb shank ravioli with caramelized onions, lamb jus and shaved
parmesan
What you need
lamb shanks
2 pounds lamb shanks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
3 whole cloves garlic
1 cup ruby port
1 cup red wine
4 cups beef or veal stock
4 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
caramelized onions
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
7 sprigs thyme tied in a bundle
Ravioli dough
14 ounces all-purpose flour
14 ounces semolina
Pinch of salt
16 large egg yolks
1 to 4 whole eggs
1½ teaspoons olive oil
1 whole egg, beaten
½ teaspoon water
Semolina or cornmeal for dusting
What you do
lamb shanks
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Trim excess fat from lamb shanks and discard. Sprinkle both sides with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven on medium-high. Sear shanks for five to seven minutes or until brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Pour off all but one tablespoon fat from the pan and decrease the heat to medium. Add shallots and garlic, and cook for two minutes. Add port and wine, stirring to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add stock, thyme, bay leaves and browned lamb shanks, and bring to a boil.
Cover Dutch oven with aluminum foil, shiny side down, and use a knife to pierce five or six holes to allow steam to escape.
Place in the oven and bake, turning meat occasionally, for four to five hours or until meat is falling off the bone. Remove from the oven and allow shanks to cool in the liquid for an hour. Reserve cooking liquid to make ravioli jus.
caramelized onions
Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan on medium. Sauté onions and thyme until onions are soft and transparent. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring with wooden spoon and scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent burning, for eight to 10 minutes or until onions are caramelized. When onions turn dark brown, remove from heat. Discard thyme. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Allow onions to cool, then place in an airtight container and refrigerate until needed.
Combine shredded lamb shanks and caramelized onions.
Ravioli
Place flour, semolina and salt in the bowl of a heavy-duty kitchen mixer with a dough hook. On a slow speed, incorporate egg yolks one at a time, followed by one whole egg. Test dough by squeezing some of the mixture in your hand. If it stays together, do not add more whole eggs. If it does not stay together, incorporate one more whole egg and test. Keep adding and testing one whole egg at a time as needed.
When dough is ready, add oil and knead. It should form dough that is not too wet or too sticky. If mixture is too liquid, add more flour.
Gently knead dough on a lightly floured surface and form into two cylinders that are three inches thick. Cut each cylinder into four equal portions. Wrap the eight portions in plastic wrap and allow to rest in the refrigerator for an hour.
Roll out each portion of dough in a pasta machine, according to the manufacturer's instructions, to form a sheet about 1/16 inch thick. The sheet should be large enough to go into a ravioli mould. As the sheets of dough are rolled out, cover them with a clean cloth so they won't dry out. Make eight sheets of pasta.
Sprinkle the inside of the ravioli mould with a little flour to prevent sticking. Line the mould with one sheet of pasta, pressing gently into the spaces. Place the lamb and onion filling in a pastry bag with a round flat tip and pipe about one tablespoon into each square in the ravioli mould.
Place beaten egg and water in a bowl, whisk together to make an egg wash. Place another sheet of pasta on a clean surface. Use a pastry brush to paint one side with egg wash. Carefully place the pastry sheet, egg-wash side down, over the filled ravioli. Gently press along the seams to ensure the egg wash seals the pasta together and to get rid of air bubbles. Take a floured rolling pin and gently roll over the top sheet. This will help to mould the individual ravioli.
Cut off the outside edges of the dough and discard trimmings. Turn over the mould onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and remove all the ravioli in one piece. Place in the freezer. Repeat until all the pasta dough is used up. After being frozen, the moulded ravioli will break apart (each mould makes 10 ravioli). No cutting is necessary if done properly.
(The ravioli can be made ahead up to this point. Place in an airtight container; they will keep in the freezer for up to 2½ weeks.) Do not thaw before cooking. Place frozen ravioli in a large pot of boiling, salted water and cook for about 4½ minutes or until done.
Plate the ravioli, pour some reheated reserved jus and top with shaved parmesan cheese.
Makes about 40 ravioli
