braised country-style ribs with cippolini

At the butcher, I felt a little embarrassed that I’d never heard of country-style ribs, given that I come from what is arguably “the country.” And even if you’re not willing to concede my particular home-census-tract is rural enough, it is, at a minimum, part of a country. Also, I really like ribs. So how had I not heard of country-style ribs? read more »

braised pork with cranberries

About the time of the first frost (or in our case first huge snowfall in October where the snow is just casually falling out of the sky without any kind of explanation like it’s no big deal), the little man who lives in my belly turns his thoughts from tomatoes and scallops and peaches and rosés to pork braises and roasted brussels sprouts and sausages and red wine. It works out nicely that way. read more »

lamb ragù over polenta

There’s something undeniably wonderful about having a fragrant, slow-simmered ragù on the stovetop for an entire Sunday. The richness permeates the air and gives the entire day a slow and luxurious feel. Languorous weekends have been in short supply for us lately, so smelling this ragù all day almost felt decadent.

Lamb is a favorite in this apartment, doubly so for stews and slow sauces. The heartiness of lamb shoulder and neck (the cuts we used here) is just unsurpassable. To keep the richness and fattiness of the lamb from being overwhelming, we use red wine and red wine vinegar to give the dish a little bracing edge, which is tempered by the sweetness of tomato paste. The trio of carrots, onion, and celery give it a classic feel, while the garlic and bay leaves keep it from being a staid dish even if it doesn’t have any unusual ingredients.

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rabbit stew with olives and apricots

Elmer Fudd knew a thing or two about good eating. Rabbit makes an excellent meal. It’s also the cutest of the animals we eat for meat (although lambs and suckling pigs might beg to differ), so eating rabbit proves you’re not a lookist when it comes to your suppers.

Rabbit stew meets a lot of the criteria we have for an excellent meal here at Brooklyn Supper. First and foremost, rabbit is delicious. It has a wonderful subtle gamy taste and when it’s stewed it’s fantastically tender. Second, rabbit is cheap. You could easily feed four adults with enough left over for two lunches with one rabbit and the whole stew cost us less than two burritos and chips and guac from our favorite Mexican takeout. Third, rabbit stew is pretty easy to make and is a fantastic make-ahead dish that really gets better if you let it mellow in the fridge for a day or two before reheating and serving. Our weeknights have been jam-packed lately, so that makes a big difference for us.

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apple recipe round-up

Apple season is upon us. Over on The Family Kitchen we’ve been sharing apple recipes all week. I’ve also added some of our favorite apple recipes here on Brooklyn Supper.

Braised pork shoulder with apples
Classic braised red cabbage with apples
Apple quinoa muffins
Apple pie with vanilla and sage infused butter
Judging the Enid’ apple pie contest
Classic apple pie
Rustic apple tart with lard and buttermilk crust

tomato and lamb neck ragu

The last time I made lamb necks, one of our comenters suggested using the leftovers to make a ragu, which sounded like a great idea, because:
1) Lamb necks are so rich and flavorful that they would make an excellent ragu, and
2) While Elizabeth makes a lot of really varied recipes on this blog, I like to do braises which make my posts all pretty similar. Season meat, brown it, add liquid, season liquid, bring to a boil, turn the heat down, wait, eat. This adds some steps, which gives me a little cred. And when you come down to it, isn’t cred what really counts in this life.

One great thing about this recipe is that you can really tailor it to the amount of meat you want to use. We make an effort to eat meat that was raised ethically and with minimal damage to the environment, and eating that way is expensive, which really makes you think about how and why you are eating meat. When you look at the way that people used to eat, meat was important, but it didn’t have to be the centerpiece of every meal. A ragu is an excellent way to use a relatively small amount of meat to make a really tasty and filling dish. That also makes it an excellent way to use leftovers.

Tomato and Lamb Neck Ragu
serves 4

1 jar of tomatoes (if you can find them in a glass jar, it’s really preferable to a can)
1/2 to 1 lb. lamb necks (in this case, I probably had about 3/4 lb.)
dry red wine
1 medium onion, diced
4-5 sprigs thyme
salt
pepper

Salt the lamb necks and brown them on all sides in a pot over high heat.

Remove the lamb, turn the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook for about five minutes.

Return the lamb, add the wine, thyme, and salt and pepper. Turn the heat to high until the wine starts to boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover.

Simmer for 3-4 hours, turning the lamb every so often, and adding more wine or water if the liquid starts to get low.

When the lamb is falling apart, remove it to a plate. Add the tomatoes, but not the juice they are in to the pot. Smash each tomato with your hands as you put it in. Turn the heat back to high until it is boiling and turn it to low, but don’t cover.

Shred the lamb either with your fingers or with a knife and fork, then add it to the tomato sauce. Cook for another 30-45 minutes. If it seems to thin, turn it up and let some of the liquid cook off.

Serve over pasta.

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