Smoked Lamb Shanks and Polenta with Grilled Vegetable Ragout

It’s hard to change gears from cooking for eight to cooking for two.....so with a kitchen full of food on Saturday we found ourselves looking out the window to see if any neighbour’s lights were on so we could invite them to join us!  Fortunately, after a full day of hiking in the hills and forest with Pluto we had worked up an appetite. 

It’s hunting season in Ellicottville, so we had to protect our dog with his orange super-hero cape to make him look less like a deer.

Blue Cheese Crackers with Walnuts

These savoury biscuits are delicious served simply as a nibbly, or arranged on a platter with apple or pear slices, soft cheeses, nuts and fruit chutneys or antipasto.

½ cup unsalted butter

½ cup (8oz) gorgonzola cheese

1 cup flour

½ tsp salt

5 ml black pepper, freshly ground

5 ml dry mustard

¼  tsp cayenne pepper

1 egg, beaten with 1 tsp water for egg wash

¼ cup walnuts, chopped finely

1. Cream the butter and gorgonzola cheese together for 1 minute in a large bowl. Add flour, salt, pepper, dry mustard and cayenne pepper and mix on low until the dough comes together in large pieces.  Add 1 tbsp water and mix until combined.

2. Dump the dough onto a floured board and knead lightly. Divide into 2 balls and roll into logs. Brush logs with egg wash and roll in finely chopped walnuts. Wrap in plastic or waxed paper and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 375⁰F(190⁰C). Meanwhile, carefully slice logs into thin coins and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn and bake for another 8 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Smoked Lamb Shanks

4 lamb shanks

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground pepper

Red wine

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Brush the shanks with the mustard, and sprinkle with the seasoning and salt and pepper.

Prepare the smoker as outlined in Techniques.  Fill the drip pan with red wine, water and 2 sprigs of rosemary.

Keeping the temperature at 250°, smoke the lamb for about 5 hours, or until very tender.  Be sure to top up the water pan with hot water when necessary. 

Polenta with Gorgonzola

(click on the link for our recipe from April 18, 2011)

When mixing polenta, you know it is ready to turn out when a wooden spoon stands up straight.

Grilled Vegetable Ragout

2 tablespoons olive oil, or more

1 Vidalia onion, coarsely chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced

6 plum tomatoes, halved

1 each yellow and green zucchini, sliced lengthwise

1 each orange and red pepper, cut in large chunks

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 bunch fresh basil, cut into chiffonade

Preheat barbecue and set to LOW.  Meanwhile, sauté onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saucepan until caramelized, about 30 minutes.  Add the garlic, and stir until fragrant, then remove from heat.

Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place them, cut side down, on the upper rack for 15 minutes, then turn and continue to cook until very tender, about another 15 minutes.  Let cool slightly, then slip off the skins and chop roughly.

Grill the zuchinni and peppers and let cool slightly before chopping roughly.

Add all the grilled vegetables to the sauté pan with the onions and heat through.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, place a handful of basil chiffonade on the plate.  Top with the polenta and then the grilled vegetable ragout.