A bit of complexity: pomegranate braised lamb shanks

We speak, often, of the so-called "made in heaven" combinations, i.e, the foods that we just LOVE when they're together. Ripe tomato and basil comes to mind, maybe with mozzarella. Bacon and eggs. Ham and swiss. For some, chocolate and peanut butter, or banana and peanut butter, or the three. Think about it: you have some of them, that make you think "could there be anything better?"

What is interesting to Annalena, multicultural gal as she is, is that these combinations are all Western, and may not appeal to someone who's origins are Eastern. And if you asked for combinations of that type from someone who's origins are not in Europe or the United States, you might be surprised, and may even sit back in a bit of revulsion. Such are cultural favorites.

Annalena is thinking of this because of her fascination with "fertile crescent" or "mesopotamian" food, or whatever label you wish to call it. There seem to be a lot of lamb, and goat recipes in these cuisines, both of which are proteins that are dear to Annalena's taste buds. The cuts of lamb associate with these dishes, are not the usual ones we Westerners favor: you won't see many lamb chop or leg of lamb dishes in these cuisines, but you will see shanks, shoulder, and other tougher cuts of meat. And what you will see, over and over again... is pomegranate. And yes,this is another magical combination. Lamb and pomegranate are a wonderful marriage. And it was with this in mind, that Annalena was looking for a recipe for the famous New Year's party.

It was not difficult, but it WAS difficult to find something that did not have a Western "stamp" on it. Many chop recipes. Many leg of lamb recipes. Where, however, were the stews? The braises? Annalena came up empty. So, in her intrepid way, she figured "how bad good it be?" and took a recipe for chops, and adapted it for shanks.

It smelled good and apparently WAS good, as the Guyman and Annalena got nary a taste of it. Annalena presents the recipe here, and is making it for us next week. You should try it too.

THe only odd ingredient you will need, is pomegranate molasses. You may have to look around to find this, but it's available, and if all else fails, you can buy it on line. I would get a large bottle, because you will use it again.

And lamb shanks. Get smaller ones. No more than 3/4 to 1 pound each. That's actually a very small shank. These critters can go up to 2.5 pounds. That you don't want.

Let's make our marinade, which also serves as our braising liquid. Combine a half cup (measure, don't guess) of the molasses, and combine it with 4 cloves of chopped garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a big tablespoon of fresh ginger, a tablespoon of ground cinnamon (best grade you can find), a couple of teapoons of ground cumin, a half tablespoon (or, 1.5 teaspoons ) of paprika. If you happen to have smoked paprika, use that. Half a a teaspoon of salt, and the same of pepper. Put this all in a dish, and mix it together. Smell it. You may swoon. It's that fragrant. Now, salt, and then add your shanks. GEt in there with your hands, and coat them well. You can now leave this out at room temperature, for 2-4 hours, or you can refrigerate it. If you refrigerate it, plan on a night , at the least.

When you are ready to cook, preheat your oven to 325. Add about a half cup of water or broth to the marinating liquid, and stir everything together one more time. Then cover it tightly, put it in the oven, and get engrossed in a book. You're going to need to let these go for at least two hours, maybe longer, depending on how tender you want the meat, and how big the shanks are. Test after two hours. If it's close to falling off the bone, or falling off the bone, you're done.

The smell out of your kitchen while this is happening, is amazing. And when it's done, make yourself some couscous, and you've got a meal.

Now, there is a variation here, which you can try if you don't mind lots of smoke. If you want a browner type of dish, after the marination, try to get as much of the marinade off of the shanks as possible, heat up some oil, and brown the critters. This will create spattering, and black smoke, and you may thing "what the hell am I doing?" Bear with it. It will be good. But if you, as so many of us, are having some winter respiratory problems, a simple braise is fine. OR, you could brown the meat before you put it in the marinade. That is how I would do it next time.

Mesopotamian comfort food, with some wonderful, warm, spicy ingredients. The weather is cold outside. What could be nicer?