Eye for a Recipe

These braised lamb shanks from Lucy Waverman are delicious and can be made ahead. Rub shanks with spices, brown and set aside. Sauté the vegetables, more spices, red wine, vinegar, stock, tomato paste and bay leaf and then bring to a boil. Return meat to pan and bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours. At this point, you can puree the sauce while baking the shanks for another 15 minutes. Reheat the sauce and the shanks together. To make ahead, refrigerate for up to a day before reheating.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure the spices don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. I used Acetaia La Bonissma balsamic vinegar which has no added sulfites, a wine from Frogpond Farm with a sulfite level below 10 parts per million, Better Than Bouillon chicken paste for the stock and Simple tomato paste.

Spice braised lamb shanks

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cumin

1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground ginger

1 teaspoon (5 ml) paprika

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) cinnamon

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) cayenne

3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil

4 lamb shanks

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup (250 ml) chopped onion

½ cup (125 ml) chopped carrot

½ cup (125 ml) chopped celery

2 teaspoons (10 ml) chopped garlic

1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried rosemary

1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried thyme

1 cup (250 ml) red wine

1 tablespoon (15 ml) balsamic vinegar

2½ cups (625 ml) beef or chicken stock, home-made or low-sodium

1 tablespoon (15 ml) tomato paste

1 bay leaf

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 300 F (149 C). Combine cumin, ginger, coriander, paprika, cinnamon and cayenne. Rub shanks with 2 teaspoons (10 ml) spice mixture.

Heat 2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil in skillet or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Brown lamb shanks in batches on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve. Wipe out pan and add remaining oil. Reduce heat to medium.

Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Sauté until onion browns slightly, about 5 minutes. Add reserved spice mixture, rosemary and thyme and sauté for 30 seconds. Add red wine and bring to boil. Add balsamic, stock, tomato paste and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Return meat to pan.

Bake for 2 to 2½ hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat and reserve. Discard the bay leaf and puree the stock and vegetables in a food processor or blender. Return sauce to pan. Place pan on stove over high heat and reduce until sauce lightly coats a spoon. Meanwhile, place the shanks on a baking sheet and bake at 400 F for 15 minutes. Return to pot.

When ready to use, simmer sauce and lamb together for 15 minutes or until reheated. Serves 4. To make ahead, refrigerate the vegetable-stock mixture and shanks separately for up to a day. Remove fat from vegetable-stock mixture, puree and reheat. Add the shanks to the sauce and simmer until they are reheated.

From Lucy Waverman

On a cold and snowy night, there’s nothing like a steaming bowl of French onion soup to warm you up. This recipe from NYT Cooking takes some time, but the result are worth it. Thinly slice onions (a mandoline slicer or slicing blade of a food processor work well) and caramelize them until wilted, tender and deep brown. Meanwhile, warm the stock. Once the onions are caramelized, add wine, sherry and flour. Add the broth, season and boil for 10 minutes. Ladle the soup into oven-proof bowls, place a slice of crusty bread on each bowl and top with grated cheese. Keeping a careful eye on the oven, broil for a few minutes until the cheese melts and browns. Cook’s note: I used chicken stock instead of beef stock and red wine vinegar instead of sherry.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure the butter and cheese do not contain colour or preservatives. I used Better Than Bouillon chicken paste for the stock, Eden Organic red wine vinegar instead of sherry and a red wine from Frogpond Farm that had a sulfite count below 10 parts per million. Ace Bakery bread is usually free of additives and preservatives.

French onion soup

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons (45 ml) unsalted butter

3 to 4 large red or yellow onions (about 3 pounds/1.36 kg), peeled and thinly sliced

¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml) kosher salt, plus more to taste

2 quarts (2 L) beef stock

1 cup (250 ml) dry white wine

1 tablespoon (15 ml) dry sherry

1 tablespoon (15 ml) all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) black pepper, plus more to taste

6 to 12 (½-inch/1.25-cm) slices French bread

1 ½ cups (375 ml) grated Gruyère cheese

Preparation:

Melt butter in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt, stir and cover, letting onions soften for 5 minutes. Remove lid and let onions caramelize until golden brown over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Adjust heat if onions are browning too quickly. The caramelization process may take 45 to 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm broth in a saucepan over low heat.

Once onions are caramelized, add wine and sherry to the pot and allow mixture to come to boil. Stir in flour and let thicken for a minute or two.

Slowly add warm broth, ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) salt and the pepper to the onion mixture and boil uncovered for 10 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Heat the broiler and arrange individual ovenproof casseroles on a baking sheet. Ladle soup into casseroles and cover top with bread slices. Sprinkle each casserole generously with Gruyère.

Broil for a minute or two, watching carefully, until cheese melts and browns. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

From NYT Cooking

This hearty soup from Food and Wine is perfect for a winter supper. Soften vegetables, add seasoning, tomatoes and wine and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in stock, bread, kale and Parmesan rind and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir in mashed beans, whole beans and seasoning and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check the dried spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. I used Unico tomatoes, Better Than Bouillon chicken stock paste and a wine from Frogpond Farm with a sulfite level of less than 10 parts per million. Ace Bakery bread is usually free of additives. Unico or Blue Menu beans are additive free; you could also soak and cook ¾ cup (187.5 ml) of dried cannellini beans. Genuine Parmesan is additive-free; look for the name stamped on the rind.

Ribollita

Ingredients:

½ cup (125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped (about 2 ½ cups/625 ml)

1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped (about 1 cup/250 ml)

1 celery stalk, finely chopped (about ½ cup)

2 teaspoons (10 ml) kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste

8 garlic cloves, finely chopped (about ¼ cup/60 ml)

¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) crushed red pepper (optional)

1 (15-ounce/425 g) can crushed tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)

1 cup (250 ml) unoaked dry white wine

9 cups (2.25 L) chicken stock or water, divided

3 rustic country bread slices (½ inch/1.25-cm thick), crusts discarded, cut into ½-inch/1.25-cm cubes

1 large bunch kale, stemmed and cut into 1-inch (2.54-cm) pieces

1 Parmesan cheese rind (optional)

2 (15-ounce/425 g) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, divided

Black pepper, to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Stir in onion, carrot, celery, and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt. Cook, stirring often and scraping bottom of pot, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring often, until vegetables start to caramelize, about 5 minutes.

Stir in garlic and crushed red pepper (if using); cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes and wine; cook, stirring occasionally to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of pot, until mixture is reduced to a jamlike consistency, about 10 minutes.

Stir in 8 cups (2 L) chicken stock, bread, kale, and Parmesan rind (if using) until well combined. Gently boil over medium-high until kale is tender and bread is almost dissolved, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash 1 cup (250 ml) beans with remaining 1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock in a medium bowl using a fork. Add bean puree, remaining about 2 cups (500 ml) beans, and remaining 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt to Dutch oven; gently boil until beans are tender, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with black pepper and additional salt.

Divide soup evenly among serving bowls; drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Serves 8.

From Food and Wine

This salad from Canadian Living is a great side dish for fish or grilled meat. Blanch the beans and make the dressing. Place beans, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion and goat cheese on a serving dish, drizzle with dressing and serve with the remaining dressing on the side.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use freshly squeezed lemon juice and pure honey. Check the oregano to make sure it does not contain colour or anti caking agents. I used Savor olives, Savor sun-dried tomatoes and President’s Choice goat cheese.

Green bean and olive salad

Ingredients:

1 lb (454 g) green beans, trimmed and halved

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

2 tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 tsp (5 ml) liquid honey

½ tsp (2.5 ml) dried oregano

2/3 cup (165 ml) pitted Kalamata olives

2/3 cup (165 ml) thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes

1/3 cup (82.5 ml) thinly sliced red onion

1/3 cup (82.5 ml) crumbled firm goat cheese

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Blanch beans in a pan of boiling salted water for 2-5 minutes; plunge in bowl of ice water for 3 minutes and then drain.

In bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, garlic, honey and oregano.

Arrange green beans, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion and goal cheese on serving plate; drizzle with some of the dressing.

Season with salt and pepper; serve with remaining dressing. Serves 4.

From Canadian Living