Pomegranate Braised Lamb & Mushroom Ragout with Pumpkin Polenta
- Pair with Cabernet Sauvignon
Serving Size
8-10
|
Total Time
4 hours
Braised Lamb Shanks Ingredients
- 4 each 1 lb. lamb shanks
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- Salt and Pepper
- 3 peeled carrots
- 3 ribs of celery
- 1 each onion cut in quarters
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 4 cups of chicken stock
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1.5 cups pomegranate juice
- 1 each bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon of whole peppercorns
Braised Lamb Shanks Technique
- Preheat oven to 250F
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add olive oil
- Season shanks to taste with salt and pepper and once oil is hot brown on all sides
- Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer
- Cover tightly and place in the oven for approx. 2.5-3 hours, flipping the shanks once during the cooking time. Remove from oven when the meat falls off the bone tender.
- Allow resting at room temperature until cool enough to handle approx. 45 minutes. While wearing gloves remove shanks from the liquid and pick the meat off of the bone.
- Once the meat is picked, strain the liquid and separately cool the meat and sauce down in the fridge overnight.
Lamb Shank and Mushroom Ragout Ingredients
- ¼ cup of olive oil
- ½ cup of finely diced onions
- ½ cup of finely diced carrots
- ½ cup of finely diced celery
- 1.5 lbs of wild mushrooms
- ½ cup of tomato paste
- Reserved braising liquid
- Reserved lamb meat
Lamb Shank and Mushroom Ragout Technique
- Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat
- Sweat onions, carrots, and celery over medium heat until soft
- Add mushrooms and cook until soft and begin to push out their liquid
- Add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute until it turns brickish in color
- Skim fat from the top of reserved braising liquid and add to pan reduce by ½ and add the reserved meat
- Let simmer slowly until meat is hot and begins to shred
- Season to taste with salt and pepper
- Reserve warm
Pumpkin Polenta, Kale Salsa Verde & Spiced Pumpkin Seeds Ingredients
Pumpkin Polenta
- 3/4 cup of dry polenta
- 2 ¼ cups of chicken stock
- 2 ¼ cups of whole milk
- 1 each 15oz can of pumpkin puree
- ½ cup of mascarpone
- 3 Tablespoons of butter
Kale Salsa Verde
- ¼ cup of blanched and shocked kale
- ¼ cup of chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon of minced garlic
- 5 teaspoons of chopped capers
- ½ teaspoon of lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon of lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon of red wine vinegar
- ½ cup of olive oil
- Salt to taste
Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
- ¼ cup of pumpkin seeds
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of chili powder
Pumpkin Polenta, Kale Salsa Verde & Spiced Pumpkin Seeds Technique
Pumpkin Polenta
- While finishing ragout cook polenta
- Add liquids to saucepan and bring to a boil
- Once boiling whisk in dry polenta and cook for approx. 30 minutes, stirring frequently, or until polenta is thickened and not grainy in texture
- Turn off the heat and whisk in butter and mascarpone
- Season to taste with salt and reserve warm
Kale Salsa Verde
- Add all ingredients except salt to a blender
- Blend on high until smooth
- Season to taste with salt
Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
- Preheat oven to 300F
- Toss nuts with salt and chili powder
- Toast for 3-5 minutes or until fragrant
- Let cool to room temperature
- Once cool give nuts a rough chop
Assembly
- Spoon polenta into a bowl
- Top with lamb and mushroom ragout
- Spoon salsa verde over and around the ragout
- Sprinkle chopped seeds on top and serve
