My fingers can barely pad down on the keys of my laptop, my limp - like legs feel like they can hardly withstand the weight of my body, my heads congealed with thoughts that my weary mind is struggling to decipher and the very inner depths of my stomach are mumbling sarcastic comments wishing to punish me for my wrong doings the night before.
No reader i am not describing the inflictions of an alcoholic infused fest that has taken place the previous night, i am suffering from what those highly qualified in the gluttony game may call a - ' Food - Over '.
Similar to its slightly more sinister cousin - ' The Hangover ', the food - over attacks all of your necessary organs and bodily functions for at the very least the next 24 hours of your life, pestering you persistently and nipping at your heels as a constant reminder that its not going to go away.
The dastardly villain behind all of this sudden affliction was a charmingly alluring temptress that goes by the name of -
' Lamb Shank Rogan Josh '.
It is with some serious endeavour from me to recall how the memories of how this honey trap dish began ( the mere whisper of food is causing my insides to curdle like a past its best pint of milk ), but ill give it my best shot.
As I've mentioned in the past living in the sticks has its ups and downs, but the rules of the old - ' Ill scratch your back if you scratch mine ' still apply between a small number of older generation farmers living in the neighbouring farms. In the past, R has ccompleted tasks of moving a next door sheep farming neighbours large bales of hay and haylege from the field to under his barn, for protection against the harsh weather of the on coming winter months. In return for his long winded work this particular farmer will more often than not offer us one of his lamb, which once slaughtered is delivered to us chopped up and ready for the freezer. This may sound like a meat lovers dream, elegantly presented portions of well bred and very carefully looked after lamb waiting patiently in the freezer to cook you up a homely Sunday roast or an exotic tagine. The harsh reality is that once the large white plastic carrier bag of so called lamb is dropped onto my kitchen table a game has to be played as to who can guess which cut of lamb is which.
What looks like it has be chopped up by the lead character in The Texas Chainsaw Massacar the " whole lamb " that we were promised always seems to be made up of genetically modified large leg joints and fat encased pieces of casserole meat. No loin was ever found neither any racks or lamb shanks just huge gelatinous joints that would take an age to cook and taste similar to the tyres of the tractor that R had used to move the farmers bales.
This year i was adamant that a change had to be made. Unwilling to disregard lamb as a second class meat for another year more and not wanting to offend our neighbouring sheep farmer friend, R and i suggested that once the lamb was slaughtered R would pick it up and with the assistance of a butchering associate of ours, cut the lamb up professionally and give total respect to the animal who has given up its life to feed us.
It is with my own sorrowful regret that i could not be part of this process ( working with horses seems to get in the way with most things, their very needy), however the snarls of jealously that had proceeded to curl my lip quickly softened when R arrived home with a hamper of meaty delights. Eager to recount his tale of white butchers coats and protective chain mail gloves R gave me a detailed account of his educative morning in a butchers kitchen. Presented before me were perfectly proportioned joins of leg and shoulder, cuts of best neck ideal for long simmering stews and casseroles, precisely french trimmed racks of lamb and luscious dark meaty loins destined to melt in the mouth.
Beginning to shake with anticipation my mind became a whirlwind of lamb induced recipes that i was just bursting to try and maybe not every ones first choice when it comes to cuts of lamb, the lamb shanks sitting there like blushingly pink rubies amongst a sea of other spectacular jeweled coloured meat were destined to become my first victim.
Surprisingly ( given our track record when deciding upon meals ), we quickly agreed that they would bathe for a few relaxing hours in a smoulderingly smokey curry sauce, made from a curry paste that not only included some of the most regal of indian spices but some more european influences as well.
Little was i to know that the tables would turn and my victim was disguised as my immediate downfall , unable to help myself falling pray to its fragrant perfume and its spicy undertones it became apparent to me that i was well and truly under its spell and was no means trying to fight it off.
That brings us to where i am now, currently withering in food induced pain the after affects of the curse still lingering solemnly over my body wondering whether any small portion of food will be able to pass through my lips again, but then again there is still a mouthful left in the pot that i could not bare to wash down the sink, i wonder if it tastes as good as it as it did last night ..........
Spell Bindingly Good Lamb Shank Rogan Josh
BE WARNED - THIS DISH SINKS ITS CLAWS INTO YOU AND WONT RELINQUISH ITS SELF UNTIL SATISFIED IT HAS OVER POWERED YOU COMPLETELY, DO NOT UNDERTAKE HALF HEARTEDLY!
2 lamb shanks
1 onion - chopped
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato puree
Fresh coriander
Rogan josh curry paste -
Spices for toasting -
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 cloves of garlic
A thumb sized piece of fresh ginger - peeled and chopped
75g jarred roasted peppers
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
2 tablespoons of groundnut oil
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
1 fresh red chilli
A small bunch of fresh coriander
.
To make up your curry paste start by adding your toasting spices to a medium heated frying pan, lightly toast these until there golden brown and releasing a pungent aroma, then remove from the heat.
Then place your toasted spices in a pestle and mortar and grind until you have released a fine powder.
Add these spices to all of you other ingredients and blitz in a food processor until you have made a aromatic paste.
To start cooking your curry heat some groundnut oil in a pan and add a good dollop of your curry paste ( about two mountainous tablespoons), once the paste looks like it is about to separate add your lamb shanks and generously brown them on all sides. Then add your onions making sure everything is well coated in your curry paste, then add the chopped tomatoes and the tomato puree. Fill one of your empty cans of tomatoes half full with water then add this to the pan. Bring to the boil then allow to slowly and gently simmer for at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I tend to start off with my lid on the pan to completely encase and sweat down my lamb but if your sauce is looking too thin take the lid off and turn up the heat and allow it to bubble away for a few minutes.
Once the meat is seductively slipping its self away from its bone add some chopped fresh coriander and dish up to its unsuspecting helpless victims.
No reader i am not describing the inflictions of an alcoholic infused fest that has taken place the previous night, i am suffering from what those highly qualified in the gluttony game may call a - ' Food - Over '.
Similar to its slightly more sinister cousin - ' The Hangover ', the food - over attacks all of your necessary organs and bodily functions for at the very least the next 24 hours of your life, pestering you persistently and nipping at your heels as a constant reminder that its not going to go away.
The dastardly villain behind all of this sudden affliction was a charmingly alluring temptress that goes by the name of -
' Lamb Shank Rogan Josh '.
It is with some serious endeavour from me to recall how the memories of how this honey trap dish began ( the mere whisper of food is causing my insides to curdle like a past its best pint of milk ), but ill give it my best shot.
As I've mentioned in the past living in the sticks has its ups and downs, but the rules of the old - ' Ill scratch your back if you scratch mine ' still apply between a small number of older generation farmers living in the neighbouring farms. In the past, R has ccompleted tasks of moving a next door sheep farming neighbours large bales of hay and haylege from the field to under his barn, for protection against the harsh weather of the on coming winter months. In return for his long winded work this particular farmer will more often than not offer us one of his lamb, which once slaughtered is delivered to us chopped up and ready for the freezer. This may sound like a meat lovers dream, elegantly presented portions of well bred and very carefully looked after lamb waiting patiently in the freezer to cook you up a homely Sunday roast or an exotic tagine. The harsh reality is that once the large white plastic carrier bag of so called lamb is dropped onto my kitchen table a game has to be played as to who can guess which cut of lamb is which.
What looks like it has be chopped up by the lead character in The Texas Chainsaw Massacar the " whole lamb " that we were promised always seems to be made up of genetically modified large leg joints and fat encased pieces of casserole meat. No loin was ever found neither any racks or lamb shanks just huge gelatinous joints that would take an age to cook and taste similar to the tyres of the tractor that R had used to move the farmers bales.
This year i was adamant that a change had to be made. Unwilling to disregard lamb as a second class meat for another year more and not wanting to offend our neighbouring sheep farmer friend, R and i suggested that once the lamb was slaughtered R would pick it up and with the assistance of a butchering associate of ours, cut the lamb up professionally and give total respect to the animal who has given up its life to feed us.
It is with my own sorrowful regret that i could not be part of this process ( working with horses seems to get in the way with most things, their very needy), however the snarls of jealously that had proceeded to curl my lip quickly softened when R arrived home with a hamper of meaty delights. Eager to recount his tale of white butchers coats and protective chain mail gloves R gave me a detailed account of his educative morning in a butchers kitchen. Presented before me were perfectly proportioned joins of leg and shoulder, cuts of best neck ideal for long simmering stews and casseroles, precisely french trimmed racks of lamb and luscious dark meaty loins destined to melt in the mouth.
Beginning to shake with anticipation my mind became a whirlwind of lamb induced recipes that i was just bursting to try and maybe not every ones first choice when it comes to cuts of lamb, the lamb shanks sitting there like blushingly pink rubies amongst a sea of other spectacular jeweled coloured meat were destined to become my first victim.
Surprisingly ( given our track record when deciding upon meals ), we quickly agreed that they would bathe for a few relaxing hours in a smoulderingly smokey curry sauce, made from a curry paste that not only included some of the most regal of indian spices but some more european influences as well.
Little was i to know that the tables would turn and my victim was disguised as my immediate downfall , unable to help myself falling pray to its fragrant perfume and its spicy undertones it became apparent to me that i was well and truly under its spell and was no means trying to fight it off.
That brings us to where i am now, currently withering in food induced pain the after affects of the curse still lingering solemnly over my body wondering whether any small portion of food will be able to pass through my lips again, but then again there is still a mouthful left in the pot that i could not bare to wash down the sink, i wonder if it tastes as good as it as it did last night ..........
Spell Bindingly Good Lamb Shank Rogan Josh
BE WARNED - THIS DISH SINKS ITS CLAWS INTO YOU AND WONT RELINQUISH ITS SELF UNTIL SATISFIED IT HAS OVER POWERED YOU COMPLETELY, DO NOT UNDERTAKE HALF HEARTEDLY!
2 lamb shanks
1 onion - chopped
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato puree
Fresh coriander
Rogan josh curry paste -
Spices for toasting -
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 cloves of garlic
A thumb sized piece of fresh ginger - peeled and chopped
75g jarred roasted peppers
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
2 tablespoons of groundnut oil
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
1 fresh red chilli
A small bunch of fresh coriander
.
To make up your curry paste start by adding your toasting spices to a medium heated frying pan, lightly toast these until there golden brown and releasing a pungent aroma, then remove from the heat.
Then place your toasted spices in a pestle and mortar and grind until you have released a fine powder.
Add these spices to all of you other ingredients and blitz in a food processor until you have made a aromatic paste.
To start cooking your curry heat some groundnut oil in a pan and add a good dollop of your curry paste ( about two mountainous tablespoons), once the paste looks like it is about to separate add your lamb shanks and generously brown them on all sides. Then add your onions making sure everything is well coated in your curry paste, then add the chopped tomatoes and the tomato puree. Fill one of your empty cans of tomatoes half full with water then add this to the pan. Bring to the boil then allow to slowly and gently simmer for at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I tend to start off with my lid on the pan to completely encase and sweat down my lamb but if your sauce is looking too thin take the lid off and turn up the heat and allow it to bubble away for a few minutes.
Once the meat is seductively slipping its self away from its bone add some chopped fresh coriander and dish up to its unsuspecting helpless victims.
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