Chef Meril Antony Aricatt takes recipe note-taking well beyond the kitchen. "See this hair? he says, pointing to his jet black mane. "I´m 45, but there´s no white hair yet, because I make my own coconut oil," points out the executive chef at The Getaway Hotel IT Expressway, with a hint of pride,
Add to this, schooling his team on recipes to success with
excerpts from Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and The Monk who sold his Ferrari, and you know why this gent has come a long way from the tapioca and plantains of his hometown in Trichur. Here´s a hearty classic that can be enjoyed by dad and mum, and thankfully you won´t have to sell your Ferrari (or Fiat) to afford this one.
Ingredients
Lamb shank - 2 nos (240 gm raw weight) | Whole potato (peeled) - 50gm | Green peas - 25gm | Bell peppers (diced) - 20gm | Fresh cream - 10ml | Butter - 10gm
For Marination
Salt to taste | Crusted black pepper - 10 nos | Dijon mustard - 5gm | Rosemary - 5 gm | Red wine - 30 ml | Mirepoix vegetable (carrot, leeks, celery, onion) - 40 gm
For Barbeque Sauce
Roasted bell peppers - 40 gm | Roasted pineapple - 40 gm | Tomato ketchup - 30 ml | Roasted whole tomato - 40 gm | Roasted mirepoix vegetables (carrot, leeks, celery, onion) - 40 gm | Tomato puree - 30 ml | Brown sugar - 10 gm | Sugar - 10 gm | Worcestershire sauce - 10 ml | Apple cider - 10 ml | Lime juice - 10ml | Stock water(made by simmering all trimmings of vegetables and meat) - 1 litre
Method
For marination: Blend all the ingredients (salt, pepper, Dijon, rosemary and red wine) and marinate the lamb shank along with the mirepoix vegetables and keep it
overnight (minimum 5 hours),so that the meat tenderises.
■ Sear the marinated lamb shank in a barbeque griller till you get a nice golden colour
■ In a sauce pan, sauté the mirepoix vegetables in oil and butter, along with roasted peppers, pineapple and tomato.
■ Add the rest of the barbeque sauce ingredients and the seared lamb shank.
■ Add stock water till it slightly covers the lamb shank.
■ Keep it on a slow flame for 45 minutes with the lid covered
■ In another pot, boil the potatoes and make a smooth mash
■ Blanch the green peas for one minute and crush the peas in blender
■ After 45 minutes, take out the lamb shank, separate and strain the sauce and reduce it.
■ In a sauce pan, add butter and sauté bell peppers, add mash potato, green peas and fresh cream, make a creamy mixture and adjust the seasoning.
■ Serve the lamb shank with freshly made green peas and bell pepper mash and smoked barbeque sauce.
Tips
■ Opt for a male lamb instead of a female lamb. The latter is usually kept for longer to bear young ones and hence, is not as soft.
■ Marinate your lamb for a good seven hours for the flavours to seep into the meat. With this kind of duration, the marinade also works as a tenderiser.