The temperature has been dropping and we’re getting into some chilly nights so that calls for some good old-fashioned home cooking.  Most of all, some good braised dishes.  Braising is one of my favorite cooking methods as it usually lets you use tougher, more flavorful cuts of meat and break them down slowly over time, leaving them melt-in-your-mouth tender.  Some of my favorites are included in this week’s piece like lamb shanks and osso bucco.  There’s just something about a great steaming hot braised lamb shank to make you feel all cozy inside and ready to take on the winter.  Here are some of my favorite cold weather dishes.

Braised Lamb Shanks

Ingredients

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 lamb shanks (each about 1 1/4 pounds; 1 shank is a portion)
• Kosher salt
• 1 large Spanish onion or 2 small yellow onions, cut into 1-inch dice
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste
• 2 cups hearty red wine
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary leaves
• 10 to 12 thyme branches tied together in a bundle
• 3 to 4 cups water
• 4 bay leaves
• Gremolata, recipe follows

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

With New Year’s Eve fast approaching, menus filled with delicacies are being prepared everywhere.  New Year’s Eve is the one time of year when extravagance comes almost as an expectation, a salute to the year’s events and accomplishments.  With delicacies like truffles, foie gras, oysters, caviar and lobster, a superb wine pairing is only suiting.

Truffles have long since been enjoyed as extravagant additions to a meal; the two most popular varieties of this fungi are the black truffles from the Périgord region in France and white truffles from the Piedmont region in Italy.  Truffles have a pungent earthiness that allow for very specific wine pairings.  In this situation, an old Burgundy for black truffles and an old Barolo for the white truffles will be the perfect match because of the earthy, dried fruit and mushroom notes these wines develop with age.

Foie gras is usually a delicacy that diners opt to have in a restaurant because it needs to be cooked with care and skill and the perfect wine match is not something that most people have in their homes.  Foie gras refers to the livers of geese and ducks that are specifically fattened for the purposes of a rich, succulent liver product.  Sauternes has long been considered to be the ultimate pairing for seared foie gras, with its honeyed notes and natural, gentle sweetness. 

Sauternes is a region in Bordeaux, France that is famous for allowing their Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes to take advantage of a natural mold late in the season to make the grapes shrivel on the vine.  This mold (botrytis cinerea) causes this shriveling that is known as “noble rot”.  This “noble rot” causes dehydration of the grapes and concentrates the natural sugars.  When these grapes are used in wine making, the product is a white wine with a dark straw yellow color full of acidity, sweetness and notes of flowers. 

Chateau d’Yquem is the most famous of the Sauternes houses in Bordeaux and a bottle of an excellent vintage can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars (which is why most people opt for a glass at a restaurant!).  It pairs with the foie gras perfectly because of the tart and sweet acidity of the Sauternes cuts through the richness and complements it at the same time.  A Canadian ice wine or Austrian Kracher are good alternatives.