Becca Johnstone

It’s cold. VERY cold. Eat this and be warm.

I should probably say a little more than that, but that’s really the whole point of this recipe. For me this is such a Sunday lunch thing. It takes a bit of time, but really not much work. Slow cooking rocks, just put it on and let it do it’s thang. Fresh pappardelle is hands down my favourite pasta. It takes me back to my time in Perugia where the local specialty was wild boar with pappardelle spiked with spicy black pepper. I’ve run with it ever since! Alas, my local butcher was out of Umbrian Wild Boar (what are they good for, really?) so lamb shanks it is. But really, who can complain about meltingly tender lamb that you could eat even if you didn’t have any teeth? Not I.

Serves 4 hungry folk.

For the pasta:

• 4 eggs
• 400g durum wheat flour + extra for dusting
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

Make the pasta in your preferred method. For me, it’s by hand. So combine all the dry ingredients and tip them on to your surface and make a well in the center. Crack in the eggs, then gradually work the flour into the eggs until you have a dough forming. Remember, every time you work with flour you may need a little more, or a little less. So feel the way your dough is coming together and incorporate the flour gradually. I work the dough for at least 10 minutes to get that gluten working – your dough needs to have some bounce back.  Once it’s at that point, wrap it in cling and let it rest at least half an hour.

After it’s rested, either roll it by hand, or through a pasta machine ensuring you laminate (fold it over on itself) at least 4 times – again to help that gluten work. Once it’s gorgeously thin, cut it in to 1 inch/3cm ribbons and hang to dry. You can dust with flour and leave in clumps, but my kitchen gets so stuffy that it usually ends up sticking together if I do that. NOTE: the broom handle was cleaned prior to use! Now take a step back and admire your speckled ribbons of wonder!

For the ragu:

• 4 large lamb shanks
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 1 zucchini, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 4 anchovies
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• ¼ cup of dried porcini, rehydrated
• 1 cup of full-bodied red wine
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• A bouquet garnet of 2 bay leaves, thyme, parsley stalks, oregano, rosemary and orange zest strips.
• 1 litre of chicken stock/vegetable stock/water
• Olive oil
• Salt, sugar and pepper to taste
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley to serve

Preheat oven to 140 degrees. Over a high heat, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in large, oven-safe pan. Season the lamb shanks well and brown. Brown them really well; this will give you super flavor in the end product. Once browned, set aside.

Drop your heat to a more medium/high level and in the same pan, cook off the onion, celery, carrot, zucchini, garlic and anchovies with a little salt and pepper. There’s no need to chop the anchovies, they will just melt into the vegetables making them extra delicious. Once the vegetables are softened add the chilli flakes, porcini (and the water they were reconstituted in) and tomato paste and cook off for another few minutes.

Add your wine and cook to burn off the alcohol – at least until it’s reduced by half. Add the tinned tomatoes and bouquet garnet and stir to combine. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add your stock or water and stir to combine, and then add the sealed lamb shanks (plus any juices) back to the pan so they are submerged. Cover with a lid and place in the preheated oven. Allow this to cook, slowly for 2-3 hours or until the lamb shanks are falling away from the bone. Check on it every now and then to make sure it remains moist, if needed add a little water. You are after a thick, juicy sauce though.

When the ragu is cooked allow it to cool slightly before you remove the lamb shanks. Remove the meat from the bones and shred it back in to the sauce – not too finely though, you want it chunky and delicious. Check your seasoning – it usually needs some salt, pepper and a little sugar – then keep it warm while you prepare the pappardelle.

Cook the pappardelle in plenty of boiling salted water and combine with your luscious lamb shank ragu. This dish is so incredibly rich that parmesan at this point would be an absolute sin. Just some fresh flat leaf parsley and a glass of a Coonawarra Cabernet. I was lucky enough to enjoy this with a bottle of Murdock Reserve 2006 Cabernet – a beautifully layered wine with firm tannins and a great minty earthiness typical of Coonawarra.

Winter ain’t so bad, right?

What’s your favourite winter warmer? Let us know on Twitter @bonvivantblog. If you have any questions about this or other recipes just shoot me an email: becca@thebonvivant.com.au

Becca Johnstone 

I love a sunburnt country… but not a burnt black snag! Like Danny, I’m a big Australia Day fan. You’re back at work just long enough to remember how much it blows being back at work, then poof! A tasty little public holiday to soak up some sun, have a few bevvies, in our house too, listen to the Hottest 100 and eat some yummy barbecued goods! And while a traditional Australia Day barbie is a brilliant thing, I thought this year I’d pay homage to just how wonderfully multicultural our society has become. This year it’s going to be an Eastern affair because (if you haven’t figured it out already) I’m head over heels for the flavours of the Middle East. So read on for tips on a tasty, simple and 40degree heat-proof feast that any proud Aussie would enjoy.

For the Barbie: Moroccan Spiced Lamb Kebabs

You can’t get much more Aussie than lamb on the barbecue for Australia Day. And I know kebabs are hardly original, but I find sometimes people can’t be bothered with the hassle. Tosh! This is so easy and tasty you’d be a fool to not give it a go. You will need:

• 750g lamb steak, cut into a 1inch dice
• 18 eschallots, peeled and cut in half.
• 1 loose cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 ½ tbsp of sumac
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp of honey
• 4 tbsps of olive oil
• Salt and pepper

For best results, start this the night before. One of my pet peeves with kebabs is that horrible combination of overcooked meat and raw onions, because the two don’t cook at the same right. To avoid this I always blanch my eschallots/onions. So that is your first step. Blanche them in boiling salted water for a couple of minutes just to soften.

Then it’s just a matter of simply combining all the other ingredients in a dish to marinate. I do these two steps the night before my barbecue, then all you have to do the day of is skewer it up and grill them! My other pet peeve with kebabs is overcooked meat – keep an eye on it, you don’t want them cooked dry. You’re aiming for a medium cook. And don’t worry if there’s a bit of char on them – just more tasty goodness! Yields 12 kebabs.

Salad: Fatoush Salad by Janella Purcell

Ahh yes, potato salad. The topic is at best, contentious, between Danny and I. My potato salad is an Ancient Johnstone Secret… let’s just say the inclusion of dill often divides it’s recipients. But there is no room for it’s creamy goodness in this Middle Eastern feast! Today we’ll be keeping it light with this tasty number from Janella Purcell. Well.. what I remember from Janella Purcell’s recipe!

• 1 lebanese pita bread
• 2 large handfuls of baby spinach
• 1 punnet of grape tomatoes
• ½ cup of loosely packed mint
• ½ cup of loosely packed coriander
• ½ cup of walnuts, toasted
• 4 medium radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp sumac
• The juice of half a lemon
• ½ tsp of sugar
• 2 tbsp of olive oil +a little extra for frying
• Salt and pepper

Take the pita bread, make a knick in the edge and cut around the circumference to split it in half. You should end up with two thin discs of pita. Lay them on top of each other and roll them up like a cigar. Finely slice along the pita to create thin strips. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and toast these strips until they are golden and crispy. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sumac, lemon juice, sugar, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

In your salad bowl combine the spinach, tomatoes, mint, coriander, walnuts and radishes. Add the dressing and toss to combine. Just before serving, gently toss through the crispy pita strips.

Drinks: Rosewater Fizz

I love this drink. Seriously. LOVE IT! It does run a little sweet, but I found it works well with the spice and acidity of our Eastern Feast. It’s such an easy one to drink as well, so go lightly. Or don’t! It’s certainly intoxicating in more ways than one!

• 4 shots of vodka
• 2 shots of Pimms
• 2 shots of sweet rose syrup (available from Indian stores).
• 1 tsp rosewater
• The juice of 1 lime
• Pink grapefruit juice
• Soda water
• Ice

Fill a jug with ice, and combine the vodka, Pimms, rose syrup, rosewater and lime juice in the bottom. Top the remainder of the jug with 2 parts of pink grapefruit juice and 1 part soda water. Scrunch the mint slightly in your hands to release it’s flavour and pop into the jug. Stir from the bottom and serve.

If you can’t get a hold of rose syrup, 2 shots of grenadine and 1 extra teaspoon of rosewater will do.

So there we have it! I’ve served the kebabs and salad with home made hommous and quinoa – cous cous would suit as well!

Wishing you the best of Australia Day’s from The Bon Vivant! 

What are you drinking and eating on Australia Day? Let us know @bonvivantblog on Twitter, The Bon Vivant Blog on Facebook or email us: thebonvivantblog@gmail.com