Winter Warmer

 The cold winter months are definitely upon us and some rich, comfort food is in order. So I'm going to share my recipe and tips on how to cook restaurant quality Braised Lamb Shanks, that fall away from the bone and melt in your mouth. 

The secret is a long, slow cooking process and reducing the cooking liquor down to make a sticky sauce.    

Braised Lamb Shanks

2 lamb medium shanks

100g carrot

100g celery

100g onion

10ml vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

10g ground fennel seeds

50ml tomato paste

100ml red wine

2L veal or beef stock

2 thyme sprigs

20g butter, diced

seasoning

First, roughly cut the three vegetables. The french term for this combination of aromatics is called "mirepoix" and is used as the base for a variety of stocks, soups, stews and sauces.

Sautee the mirepoix, garlic and thyme with vegetable oil in a medium to large saucepan. 

Season the shanks with salt, pepper and fennel seed. Once the mirepoix is browned, add the shanks and seal them on all sides.

Next add the tomato paste and cook out for one to two minutes. Pour in the red wine. Using a wooden spoon free any sediment from the bottom of the pot. This is called "deglazing".

Reduce the wine by half. Cover the shanks with stock and bring to the boil. 

Simmer for one and a half to two hours or until meat is tender and comes away from the bone. Rotate shanks if needed to ensure even cooking.

Once shanks are cooked remove from the saucepan and set aside.

Strain the cooking liquor into a shallow pan and reduce until thick, this is called the "jus". Skim any oil or sediment that comes to surface. 

 

 To finish the jus stir in the cold diced butter, this thickens and adds flavour.

Reheat the lamb in a low oven with a small amount of sauce to keep it moist. 

Spoon the jus over the braised shanks and serve with your favourite winter vegetables. 

 I've chosen sweet potato and sweetcorn.

enjoy.

Fresh Pasta

The word pasta first appeared in English in 1874, from Italian pasta and from Latin pasta "dough, pastry cake".


There is nothing like eating fresh hand-made pasta. And the best pasta is made with "00" flour. It is less refined than regular flour and has 11.5%-12.5% high quality gluten, which is important in producing a quality dough. Alternatively a mix of semolina and plain flour can be used, a ratio of 1:3. A pasta machine is essential to roll your dough, if you don't have one they can be purchased from good home-ware stores or kitchen warehouses for as little as $30 or $40.

Here's my pasta recipe and a step by step guide;

 

Ingredients

565g "00" flour
12 yolks
2 eggs
tsp olive oil

tsp water 

pinch salt

 

Dough
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine yolks, eggs, water and oil. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Gradually add the eggs, stirring constantly with a fork until dough comes together. 

 

On a floured surface, knead the dough until soft and smooth. This is very important, it disperses moisture evenly and works the gluten, which strengthens the bonds of the dough. 

Wrap in cling wrap to prevent oxidisation and rest for 2 - 3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. 

After sufficient resting time, your dough is ready to be rolled.

Rolling

First, secure the pasta machine to the bench top with a damp cloth underneath to prevent it from slipping. 

Lightly flour machine and bench top, set the machine to the widest setting. Divide the dough into smaller, more manageable pieces.  

Using a lightly floured rolling pin and surface, flatten a piece into a rectangle shape. (Keep other pieces under a damp cloth to prevent drying out).

 

Gently feed the dough through the rollers. Fold one side of the rolled dough into the centre, and the other over that to form three layers (this is called a book turn). 

  

Starting with an open side, feed back through the machine. Repeat this process four times. This ensures a smooth pasta and further works the gluten. 

Adjust the machine to the next narrowest setting. Feed the pasta through again with one hand and catch it with the other, being careful not to stretch or tear the sheet.

 

Roll pasta through at each setting until reaching the most narrow.

The pasta then can be used as sheets for lasagna or cut, into spaghetti or fettuccine.

To cut into fettuccine, attach the pasta-cutting attachment to the pasta machine according to your manual's instructions. Then feed the thinly rolled sheet of pasta into the cutting attachment, catching them by draping them over your hands as they're cranked out of the machine.

Either hang pasta on a drying rack or scattered over a tray dusted with flour. 

Cooking and Serving

Cook pasta in boiling salted water for 4 - 5 minutes, stirring periodically. Strain.

To enjoy the flavour of your fresh pasta simply toss in olive oil and lemon juice, top with shaved parmesan.

Valentine's Day @ Perry Lane.

Valentine's Day was a busy one at Perry Lane, although they usually are. We celebrated with a few seasonal, themed additions. Some were published in the Good Living Magazine - 09/02/2010. Strawberry and Rosewater Jam, Champagne Poached Rhubarb and Sri Lankan Love Cakes could be enjoyed as well as the full summer menu.

Here's the Love Cake recipe for you to try at home.

Sri Lankan Love Cakes

10 yolks
300g Sugar
250g Semolina
125g Butter
185g Cashews, chopped
300g Dried Pear, chopped
40ml Rosewater
1 Lemon, zest
1/4tsp Nutmeg
1/4tsp Cinnamon, ground

Melt butter with semolina in the oven. In a separate bowl cream together yolks and sugar. Combine other ingredients in another bowl, stir in butter and semolina. Fold in yolks. Spoon mixture into piping bag, pipe into greased individual moulds. Bake at 160℃ for 24 minutes, rotate tray halfway. Cool.

At Perry Lane Cafe

Rear 264 Oxford Street, 1 Perry Lane

Paddington