My favorite Sunday night dinner is braised lamb shanks cooked with basmati rice or what we call “lamb and rice” at our house. It’s simple to prepare, truly, not because I have made it hundreds of times and could do it with my eyes closed.
It’s so fragrant and beautiful when finished; a plume of aromatic steam floats above the shank that’s covered with random pieces of tomato and onion, sitting on a mound of tomato red colored long grain rice perfectly separated.
Calliope Athanus, my Greek grandmother made this dish. She taught my French mother, who taught me. There were always lamb shanks in our freezer growing up. The butcher at the A&P saved all of them for my mother-she bought them all. When the two of us grocery shopped she always repeated to me, “ it must be the front shanks”, the fore shank. “Watch out, they always want to sell you the rear shanks” -she would shake her head and say - “they just aren’t the same.” She told me this every single time.
When my oldest son left for his senior year of college in September, he was leaving the comfort (or more likely uncomfort) of on-campus life and trading it for a 4-bedroom apartment. No
longer able to rely on cafeteria food, he was going to have to cook for
himself. Over the years I had taught him a few basic things about cooking but
never really gave him anything resembling real lessons. I guess I was just
hoping he was going to pick it up by osmosis. Though he has watched me cook
over the years and picked up some basics I wanted to give him a little more
formal culinary send-off. Starting in early August I began to think about what
he liked to eat and what specific skills he would need to cook those dishes. We
spent a few days going over the basics – heat control, knife techniques, etc. I
also knew that there were certain basic tools and ingredients he would need for
his kitchen. Stuffed into his luggage were three knives, a spatula, frying pan
and pot. Finally, I drew up a few basic recipes and cooking techniques that I
emailed to him. The result was a sort of mini- cooking "Cooking 101."
Whether you like FaceBook or not, it has its' merits. People and relatives are easier to find.
What a beautiful day! Perfect for taking a walk at the beach, shopping at our local farmers' market, cooking, and eating outside.
I remember first smelling the scent of coffee roasting in North Beach. I was a teenager and it was exotic and intoxicating like the City itself. Even though I didn't drink coffee, I loved that smell. Over the years whenever I've smelled fresh coffee, especially during roasting, it's been a combination of soothing and exciting to me, like the promise of something wonderful and dangerous. Sadly drinking coffee has never held the romance that smelling it does.