Shrunk shanks and sweetiepie
WITH any luck this Monday is the last bogus bank holiday of the year; I'm glad the Notting Hill Carnival ended without too much bloodshed or troubles so that everyone could return to their homes in Peace. I put up a cousin for the night as she couldn't get back to her flat since there were too many police cordons. Hey-ho, what a merry fiesta. Why don't they hold it Just before Lent commences as all other countries do? All that good fried chicken would be very comforting on a chilly February day. I have made a new discovery in comfort food — sheep's shanks. Now that so many butchers prepare ready assembled kebabs, the leftover shank is readily available. If you enjoy glutinous meat like the knuckle end of a leg of lamb, oxtail, osso bucco and the like, you will love these shanks. One for each person should be enough.
Lamb shanks
6 lamb shanks 1/2 pint dry white wine 1/2 pint beef stock 3 oz unsalted butter 1 tablespoon sunflower oil 3 garlic cloves
V2 lb onions
1/2 lb carrots bouquet garni of bay leaf and rosemary plain flour, salt and pepper
Put about 2 oz of flour, salt and freshly ground 'pepper into a plastic bag, toss the shanks one by one in the bag and lay them out on some greaseproof paper. Peel and chop the vegetables into chunks, slice the garlic finely. Place half the butter and oil in a large frying pan; when hot, brown the shanks in relays, keeping them at the ready. In a large casserole heat the rest of the butter and oil then add the vegetables and garlic, cook slowly until slightly browned, pour in the wine, bring to simmering and reduce for about five mi- nutes. Pile in the lamb shanks, add the stock and the bouquet garni. Cover and either simmer on top of the stove or in a low oven for 11/2 hours until the meat is just falling off the bones. When cool enough, remove the meat from the bones, discard- ing the rather unsightly skin if you like. Or You can give each person a bone and a helping of the sauce and vegetables and let them fend for themselves. Check the sea- soning before serving. Have a lovely mound of mashed potatoes to go with it and a green salad on the side. This meat if removed from the bone is very good eaten with the salsa verde served with the Italian bollito: oil, lemon juice, parsley, capers, garlic, salt and pepper, all mixed together as for vinaigrette.
Another method is to heat gently with chopped tinned tomatoes and a teaspoon of paprika. When hot, stir in four tables- poons of sour cream and serve with plain boiled potatoes.
Now for the Hungry Monk's famous pudding (plenty for eight).
Banoffi pie
12 oz uncooked shortcrust pastry 11/2 tins of condensed milk (131/2 oz size) 11/2 lb of firm bananas
3/4 pint double cream
1/2 teaspoon powdered instant coffee 1 dessertspoon castor sugar freshly ground coffee
The secret of this amazing pudding lies in the condensed milk which you must immerse unopened in a deep pan of boiling water. Cover and boil for five hours! It is vital to top up the pan of boiling water frequently, otherwise the tins will explode, causing grave risk to life, limb and kitchen ceilings. When cooked remove from the pan and cool completely before opening. Inside you will find the soft toffee filling. Preheat the oven to Gas 5, 380°F, 193°C. Lightly grease a 10" flan tin. Line this with the pastry thinly rolled out. Prick the base all over with a fork, bake blind until crisp (20-25 minutes). Cool. Whip the cream with the instant coffee and sugar until thick and smooth. Spread the condensed milk toffee over the base of the flan. Peel and halve the bananas lengthways and lay them on the toffee. Finally spoon the cream all over the top and sprinkle with the fresh ground coffee. Serve in thick slices to the joy of the consumers both young and old. The great thing about this pudding is that it can be assembled in a trice once you have the toffee ready. If you boil several tins of condensed milk at the same time they will keep unopened indefinitely. Please, please do not make this pudding if you are absent-minded — think of the explosion.
Jennifer Paterson
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