Osso Buco with fennel, and orange gremolata



Ingredients

1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 fennel bulb, cut into large pieces
3 celery stalks, cut into 1 inch/2.5 cm pieces
4 pork shanks
19 oz/ 540 ml tin of diced tomatoes
2 tbsp/30 ml olive oil
2 tbsp/30 ml flour
1/2 cup/125 ml white wine
juice of 1 orange
5 sprigs of fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Gremolata

1/2 cup/125 ml fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp/ 15 ml orange zest, finely grated
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced


Method

1. Add oil to a skillet and brown onion for 2 mins. Add pork shanks and brown on all sides. Sprinkle with flour and cook for a further min

2. Deglaze with wine and orange juice and bring to the boil.

3. Place pork and onion mixture in crockpot and add tomatoes, celery, fennel and thyme.Season to taste.

4. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

5. Make gremolata just before serving by combining parsley, orange and garlic.

6. Serve over pasta or rice with gremolata sprinkled over top

Oven

1. Heat oven to 350F/ 180C. Place pork and onion mixture in baking dish with tomatoes, fennel, celery and thyme. Plus an extra 3/4 cup/175 ml white wine. Season to taste.

2. Cover and bake for 4-5 hours. Stir occasionally adjusting liquid level if necessary.

3. Prepare gremolata as above. And serve over pasta or rice

Spicy lamb with pasta

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
675g/1 and half lb lamb cubed
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1-2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 (375g) can of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
600 ml/1 pt/2 and half cups water
225g/8 oz pasta shapes
salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat oil in frying pan or crockpot base and fry lamb until brown. Add onion and garlic, fry until softened.

2. Add spices and cook for 1 min. Stir in tomatoes, puree and water. Bring to the boil and season.

3. Transfer to crockpot and cook on high for 4-5 hours, medium for 6-7.

4. Stir in pasta and cook for a further 20-25 mins until pasta is tender.

Moroccan Hotpot

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinned
1 large red onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 red pepper
100g/4 oz no-soak dried apricots
1 tbsp ground corinader
1 tbsp ground cumin
half tsp tumeric
rind and juice of 1 lemon
300 ml/half pint/1 1/4 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper
225g / 8 oz/ just under a cup couscous
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander/cilantro

Method

1)Slice chicken. Peel and chop onion. Deseed and slice pepper.

2)Add oil to frying pan,or if your crock pot has a detachable base, fry chicken until brown. Add onion, garlic and red pepper and fry until soft. Add apricots and spices and cook for 1 min while stirring.

3)Add lemon rind and juice and chicken stock and bring to boil. Season well.

4)Transfer to crockpot. Cook for 5 hours on high, 8 on medium. Stir in couscous quickly and cook for 5 mins. Sprinkle with coriander.

Variations

Lamb instead of chicken is good.

Use eggplant, courgette or beans instead of chicken.