WEEK 33 WILDCARD WINNER

Autumn Olive Medley (Braised Lamb Shanks with
Fennel, Celery Root, and Olives)

Photography by Sarah Shatz

    BY ABRA BENNETT | SERVES 4

A&M: If you’re in the mood for a rich, comforting stew but want something with a bit of flair, this dish is for you. Abra Bennett has you simmer lamb shanks in a heady broth of red wine, stock, fennel, celery root, and aromatics until the meat falls from the bone, adding sun-dried tomatoes and green olives two-thirds of the way through. The resulting dish is brilliant: the fennel and shallots melt into the sauce, the olives leach some of their brine and become almost artichokelike in flavor, the sun-dried tomatoes soften and mellow, and a finishing splash of Pernod and a shower of freshly grated lemon zest cut through the fattiness of the lamb.

    Salt and freshly ground black pepper

    4 lamb shanks

    3 tablespoons olive oil

    1 fennel bulb, diced small

    1 softball-size celery root (celeriac), peeled and diced small

    2 large shallots, chopped

    3 garlic cloves, chopped

    1 bay leaf

    1 teaspoon dried bouquet garni

    2 cups young red wine

    2 cups veal or beef broth

    1 cup green olives, pits in

    ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil

    1 splash Ricard or Pernod (optional)

    Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (use a Microplane if you have one)

1. Salt and pepper the lamb shanks liberally. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy pan with a tight-fitting lid. Brown the lamb shanks all over. Take your time with this and get them really nice and brown. Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside.
2. Lightly brown the fennel, celery root, shallots, and garlic in the pan used for the meat, about 5 minutes. Add the meat back to the pan. Add the bay leaf, bouquet garni, wine, and broth. Cover the pot and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 hour.
3. Add the olives and sun-dried tomatoes to the pot. If necessary, add a little more wine or broth. Simmer, covered, an additional 30 minutes, or until the meat is nearly falling off the bone.
4. If you’d like to emphasize the fennel flavor and bring out the mellowness of the olives, add a splash of Ricard or Pernod. This really does enhance the dish and is very Mediterranean. Taste the sauce and add additional salt and/or pepper to taste. Just before serving, sprinkle the lamb with the lemon zest.
5. You can gently pull the meat off the bone and serve it as a stew, or as a sauce over pasta. You can also serve these on the bone as is, or over polenta. Be sure to mention to your diners that the olives contain pits!

Photography by Sarah Shatz

    TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

    Abra Bennett: “Like most stews and braises, this tastes even better the next day, so make it ahead if you have the chance.”

        You may want to drain some of the oil in the pan after browning the lamb (we kept 3 tablespoons). We also reduced the sauce by simmering it for a bit after the meat was cooked.

    ABOUT THE COOK

    Abra Bennett is a food and wine writer living in Bainbridge Island, Washington.

        Her favorite recipe from a cookbook: “Anything from Paula Wolfert’s Cooking of Southwest France, but if I have to pick just one recipe, her Ragout of Veal with Orange. It’s astoundingly delicious.”

        You can find her Wildcard-winning Risotto Rosso recipe.

        Here’s her blog: French Letters (www.frenchletters.wordpress.com).

    WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID

    aargersi: “Okay, I had this last night and I think it may be the best lamb shank I have ever had … I have never cooked celeriac before, and I am hooked! Also on Pernod … I confess to having a little sip or two before dinner as well.”