Salad of Slow-Cooked Potted Lamb Shank with Fava-Bean Puree and Grilled Ciabatta This is a Spring-loaded dish using braised lamb shanks, so often identified with hearty winter menus. Lamb is at it’s meataphorical peak in the spring and every lamb comes with a shank (or four), so don't put braising into hibernation for the warmer seasons.
Lamb Terrine 1 cup tomato sauce 2 quarts lamb or beef stock 4 whole lamb shanks Kosher salt and cracked black pepper Canola oil 2 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces 1 yellow onion, quartered 4 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces 4 sprigs sage 2 cups red wine 6 sprigs thyme 1 cup bruniose vegetables (carrots, celery, fennel, and chives in an 1/8-inch dice)
Fava-Bean Puree 1 pound fresh large fava beans in the pod 1 bunch basil, stemmed 1 clove garlic, peeled 5 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt and cracked black pepper 1 teaspoon lemon juice 2 large organic navel oranges ¼ cup olive oil, plus extra 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar 8 heads organic baby lettuce, washed and dried 1 pound hard pecorino cheese 6 slices fresh ciabatta bread
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. To prepare the lamb terrine, combine tomato sauce and stock in a medium-size pot and bring to a simmer. Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the shanks and remove to a roasting pan. Add the carrots, onion, celery, and sage to the remaining oil in the same skillet and brown. Deglaze with the red wine. Pour vegetable mixture and simmering stock/puree over the lamb shanks. Toss in the thyme sprigs. Cover with foil and slow roast until fork tender, approximately 2 to 3 hours. Let the lamb shanks cool, then remove from pan. Pull bone completely away from meat—it should come away very easily. Strain liquid into a small pot and reduce by half. Refrigerate until cold and then skim fat off top of liquid. Pick meat away from skin and fat and break into small pieces. Place in a mixing bowl with the bruniose and cooked vegetables. Mix together and season with salt and pepper. Spray the inside of a terrine with oil and line with plastic wrap, leaving enough plastic-wrap overhang to cover the top when the mold is filled. Fill the mold with the shank mixture and add some braising liquid as you go so that the meat is very moist thoughout. Once terrine is nearly full, pour over braising liquid to completely cover meat. Cover with the plastic overhang and the terrine lid. Refrigerate overnight. To make the fava-bean puree, blanch the fava beans in boiling water for 1 minute and then transfer to an ice bath. Remove and discard skins. Place beans on a paper towel. Combine fava beans, basil, and garlic in food processor and blend. Slowly add the oil to the puree and blend again until smooth. Season with kosher salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Place in a small bowl and refrigerate. To prepare the vinaigrette, first segment and deseed the oranges. Squeeze the remaining juice from the
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