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The shoulder cut is a bit tougher than a leg of lamb and it benefits from a long, slow braise or roast

this meal hits all of the holiday notes including cinnamon, among a myriad of other regional spices, braised Pre-Braise 4 lamb shanks Kosher salt Black pepper Ground cinnamon Curry powder Frying oil 4 garlic cloves

With oxtail, it’s just like any other braise.

I tried rushing it the first time and you just can’t do that on a braise. Braised Beef Brisket 5-6 lb beef brisket 2 tbsp dried Italian herb blend 1 tbsp paprika 2 tsp ground Then, stir in the remaining ingredients, except for the fennel, and raise the heat to medium-high and

This being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how different countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat. While home to the birthplace of Jesus (Bethlehem), Christianity only accounts for about 3% of the state’s religious makeup. However, Christmas is celebrated more widely in Palestine than Israel (home to Nazareth). A traditional holiday meal is Qidreh, a lovely lamb and rice dish that has an amazing spice flavor derived from a traditional nine-spice blend. While the recipe I sourced from The Palestinian Table makes a large batch (helpful in that many of the recipes call for this aromatic spice mix) from whole spices, I have pared it down to a smaller amount made with pre-ground spices for those of you who don’t have spice grinders at home. I’ll admit though, I couldn’t find mace, so it’s technically an 8-spice blend (I just upped the nutmeg a little). While it was 60 degrees yesterday when I originally made this, I’m totally reheating this to enjoy for lunch during the big snowstorm we’re having today! Qidreh adapted from The Palestinian Table, Reem Kassis While the recipe calls for mastic, I couldn’t obtain it locally. However, I concocted what I feel is a suitable substitute with a combination of vanilla, juniper berries and rosemary. I also cut down on the prep time by using a pressure cooker. If you make the stock in a regular pot, increase the stock cooking time to 1 hour. Meat/stock 3 tbsp olive oil ~4 lb bone-in leg of lamb (or about 1.75 lbs of boneless), cut into 2” chunks 1 tsp vanilla extract 3” sprig of rosemary 5 juniper berries, crushed 1 tbsp Nine-spice mix (recipe below) ½ tsp turmeric 2 bay leaves 1 onion, peeled and halved “Nine”-spice mix 2 tbsp ground allspice 1 tbsp ground cloves 1 tbsp ground cinnamon ½ tbsp ground black pepper 2 tsp ground coriander ¼ tsp ground cardamom ⅛ tsp ground cumin ⅓ of a whole nutmeg, ground Rice preparation 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp butter 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced 18 cloves garlic, peeled 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp nine-spice mix (recipe above) 1 tsp salt 1 tsp turmeric 2.25 cups of basmati rice, rinsed and drained 14 oz can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained Toasted pine nuts/almonds Plain Greek-style yogurt Prepare the nine-spice mix and reserve. Dry the lamb and season with Kosher salt. Prepare the meat and stock. Preheat the oil in a pressure cooker over medium heat until shimmering. Add in all of the remaining ingredients, except for the lamb and onion and toast the spices/herbs for about 1 minute. Add in the lamb, stir to combine with the oil and spices and sear on all sides, increasing the heat to medium-high. Brown the meat for a few minutes. Add 8 cups of water to the pot, along with the halved onion, and bring to a boil, removing any foam from the surface. When all of the foam is gone, close the lid on your pressure cooker and maintain high heat until the steam peg pops. Then, secure your lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes (if using a stock pot, cover and simmer for about 80 minutes). After 20 minutes, release the pressure from the pot. Preheat the oven to 325. While the stock develops in the pressure cooker, prepare the rice. In a medium-sized Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. When the butter melts, add in the onion with a pinch of salt and reduce the heat to low. Slowly sauté the onion for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Then, add in the spices and stir until fragrant (about a minute) and stir in the rice coating with all of the oil and spices and lightly toast. Meanwhile, remove the meat from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside on a dish. Pour the stock through a strainer, reserving 4 cups. When the rice has toasted for a minute or so, stir in the chickpeas and add in the stock. Bring to a boil. Once the pot reaches a boil, remove from the heat and place the lamb pieces on top. Cover and place in the oven and cook for an hour. Remove from the oven and let sit in the covered pot for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the toasted nuts. Serve in bowls with yogurt on the side. ______________________________ Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.

The day of, I rendered lardons for an hour before browning the beef and braising it with all of the vegetables Raise the heat to medium and brown the beef on all sides; removing them along with the rendered lardons

If the sauce is still too loose (you’re going for a creamed-gravy texture) raise the heat to medium and

Braised Chicken in tomato & coconut milk and warm-spiced basmati rice Adapted from The New York Times Then stir in the tomatoes and coconut milk and raise the heat back to medium-high.

you know that I love the magic of the Maillard reaction (the process of browning meat, especially for braises

This, being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how different countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat. Not gonna lie...it took a while to come up with this dish. But, I guess that should be expected in a relatively young (Zambia obtained their independence from the UK in 1964), land-locked country in the south-central region of the African continent. While most meals are served with the traditional Nshima (or Pap), a maize flour porridge, rice is reserved for special occasions, as is killing the village’s chicken! Therefore, and through some exhaustive research, I am bringing you, essentially, another chicken and rice dish in a week’s time. But, this flavor profile is different. Who knows, maybe I should start a chicken and rice series?! The process in making this chicken gets slightly involved as you must be attentive to not burn the chicken since there is no use of cooking oil, only water and fat that renders from the chicken skin. However, you can pass the time by turning on a Zamrock station on Spotify or Pandora while you stir away. The music may be an acquired taste, but the dish is a knock-out and my girls loved it. One item to note is that you’ll want to use a chicken on the smaller side (~3.5 lbs) so you can fit everything in your cooking pot. Zambian Chicken Stew Small chicken (about 3 lbs), portioned Onion, small dice 2 medium-sized tomatoes, medium chopped 1 tsp dried oregano ¾ tsp curry powder Butcher your chicken into 8 pieces (2 wings, 2 legs, 2 thighs, and 2 boneless breast cutlets). In a large pot, stir in a teaspoon of table salt, and add the chicken pieces, skin-side down. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once you hear the chicken begging to sizzle, you know it’s about time to add more water. (This process should take about 20 minutes). Take the top off the pot and, once the water and any fat has nearly evaporated, add an additional cup of water. Place the top back on the pot and repeat the process of boiling and then listening for the tell-tale sizzle of fat rendering. Remove the top off the pot and add a half cup of water. If the skin has cooked enough, you should be able to easily move the pieces. If the chicken does not easily move, keep cooking with the water (this time with the top removed). After another round of boiling/sizzling, turn the chicken, it’s ok if you lose a little skin and repeat cooking uncovered with a half cup of water. Once you have cooked the chicken on both sides, remove the breast portions and set aside on a plate. Add in the onions and tomatoes with 2 cups of water and a heavy pinch of salt. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes to break down the vegetables. Uncover the pot and stir in the curry powder and oregano. Add the chicken breasts, skin-side up on top of everything and cook an additional 5-10 minutes, covered, until desired consistency is reached. Remove the breasts once more and give everything a good stir. Serve with steamed white rice. _____________________________________________ Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.

But, much like the red peppers peeking through my dark braise of rabbit in wine, the red emblem of Team Yes, one of my most liked images so far, a picture perfect roast and braise was of a dish I could not

The rugged texture of the tough, lean beef relents after a nice braise in this red sauce and has a lovely