Lamb from Down Under - Food Guide - Recipe

Sunset, Feb, 2002 by Jerry Anne Di Vecchio

I love Australia's vitality, its dynamic food scene, and the crowd of Aussie friends I've accumulated through the years. Take Peter, for instance, and his buddy Bronwyn--culinary enthusiasts both. As house guests one afternoon, they announced they were going to cook lamb shanks, and who knows how to do that better than Australians? As the shanks roasted gently in the oven-untended--their mellow, herbal aroma filled the house, and Peter demonstrated a true virtue of the dish: He took a nap before we shared this cozy winter's-eve meal.

Lamb Shanks with Olives and Capers

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 31/2 hours

NOTES: If you can't find pitted olives, you can use those with pits (warn guests to bite with care) or you can cut the olives from their pits (keep the pieces as large as possible).

MAKES: 6 servings

6 lamb shanks (about 6 lb. total)

1 jar (4 oz.) capers, drained

11/2 cups pitted green olives in brine such as Picholine (see notes)

1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves or 3 tablespoons dried rosemary

1 bottle (750 ml.) dry white wine

2 teaspoons fresh-ground pepper

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Lemon Couscous (recipe follows)

About 3 cups watercress sprigs, rinsed and crisped

1. Rinse lamb and pat dry; lay shanks side by side in a 12-by 17-inch pan about 2 inches deep. Bake in a 450[degrees] regular or convection oven, turning once, until meat is well browned all over, about 25 minutes total. Reduce oven temperature to 325[degrees].

2. Meanwhile, place capers and olives in a fine strainer and rinse with cool water; drain. Mince rosemary or combine with about 1 cup of the wine in a blender and whirl until minced. Scatter capers, olives, and rosemary over lamb (or pour rosemary-wine mixture evenly over lamb) and add the wine (the rest of the wine if whirling some with rosemary); stir around shanks to scrape up browned bits. Sprinkle pepper and lemon peel over meat; add lemon juice to pan. Cover pan tightly with lid or foil.

3. Bake until meat is very tender when pierced and pulls easily from the bone, 3 to 31/4 hours.

4. Spoon equal portions of Lemon Couscous into wide, shallow bowls. With tongs, lift lamb shanks from pan and set one on couscous in each bowl. Skim and discard far from juices in pan. Ladle juices with olives and capers over meat. Garnish each bowl with about 1/2 cup watercress sprigs.

Per serving: 676 cal., 24% (162 cal.) from fat; 75 g protein; 18 g fat (5.3 g sat.); 49 g carbo (3.6 g fiber); 1,753 mg sodium; 200 mg chol.

Lemon Couscous. In a 11/2 to 2-quart pan over high heat, bring 2 cups fat-skimmed chicken broth to a boil. Stir in 1 package (12 oz.) couscous and half of a preserved lemon (available in gourmet food stores), finely chopped (or use 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel and 3 tablespoons lemon juice). Cover, remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and serve. Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 227 cal., 1.6% (3.6 cal.) from fat; 9.9 g protein; 0.4 g fat (0.1 g sat.); 45 g carbo (1.9 g fiber); 224 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Avocado fan

* If avocados had a fan club like Hollywood stars do, I'd be a member. In the absence of that, I'm a fan of a new tool that quickly and neatly cuts avocados into even slices that you can tip out of the shell and fan dramatically onto a plate--or use any way you choose. Just cut a ripe avocado in half (hard-shell Hass work best), pop out the pit, and glide the avocado slicer (one size fits all) under the flesh against the shell. If there is any pulp left in the shell, scoop it out with a spoon. The slicer, made by Progressive International, is available in cookware stores for about $15.

And now, with avocados at peak quality and tomatoes not worth writing home about, try this seasonal re-do of a BLT--a BLA (no, not blah): Layer avocado slices, cooked bacon, and lettuce on whole-grain toast, spreading the bread with any extra avocado scooped from the shell.

Fruit-full balsamics

* Balsamic vinegar has a natural affinity for fruit. Taking this relationship one step further, Peggy O'Kelly, at the St. Helena Olive Oil Co. in Napa Valley, ages balsamic vinegar with fresh raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, or cherries, enriching each batch with a touch of vanilla. The resulting flavors are even more fruitfriendly than plain balsamics. Use them to dress salads, to replace lemon in zippy desserts and beverages, and to complement meat, poultry, and fish; just splash them on the meat or in marinades and sauces. The berry balsamics sell for $4.95 (60 ml) and $11 (250 ml).

If you can't find the berry balsamics at well-stocked supermarkets, gourmet shops, or cookware stores, order them from the company's tasting room at 8576 St. Helena Highway, Rutherford, California (800/939-9880 or www.sholiveoil.com).

Date with a salad

Celery is crisp, crunchy--and sometimes stringy. But trim off the long fibers that run the length of the stalks, then shave the stalks paper-thin, and you have a whole new taste and texture: melting snowflakes with a bit of soap. At San Francisco's 42 Degrees restaurant, chef-owner Jim Moffat contrasts the cool, moist celery with intense, sweet dates, topping them with shavings of parmesan cheese for a delightfully simple salad. He seasons the combination with aged balsamic vinegar; the berry balsamics above add a lovely layer of flavor.