In Alfred Portale Simple Pleasures, one of our most accomplished chefs invites you to taste the sublime and surprisingly easy-to-prepare, restaurant-quality dishes he serves to friends and family at home.
The 125 recipes include home versions of Gotham classics as well as new recipes straight from Portale's home kitchen. They're all simple enough for any home cook, and spectacular enough to impress anyone who tastes them.
In Italian households, a popular way of using leftover braised meats is to chop or shred the meat, return it to its own sauce, and toss it with fresh pasta. This recipe goes right to the pasta stage, using the intensely vinous braising liquid as a sauce. Don’t be too casual with your choice of Fontina cheeses: Though produced in many countries, including the United States, the best is Fontina d’Aosta, which comes from the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Its fresh flavor makes a big impact on the overall success of this dish. The pappardelle, probably most often seen with rabbit on restaurant menus, is the perfect choice for lamb shanks and other braised-meat sauces.
If you can find it, replace the Parmigiano-Reggiano with an aged Pepato, a Sicilian pecorino punctuated with whole black peppercorns. When the cheese is shaved, the flavor of the pepper is unleashed as well, adding a whole new meaning to the term “freshly grated black pepper.”
Servings: 6 as an appetizer or 4 as a main course
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 lamb shanks (1 1/2 pounds each)
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup diced carrot
2 1/2 cups robust Italian red wine
1 cup canned tomato puree
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 thyme sprig
1 rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
1 quart Chicken Stock, or more as needed
1 pound fresh pappardelle pasta
8 ounces Fontina cheese, coarsely grated
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup basil chiffonade
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Pour the oil into a heavy-bottomed ovenproof pot that is just large enough to hold the lamb shanks, and set the pot over medium-high heat. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper, add them to the pot, and cook, turning often, until nicely browned all over, approximately 10 minutes. Remove the shanks from the pot and set them aside.
Add the onions, garlic, celery, and carrots to the pot and saute until softened but not browned, approximately minutes. Add the wine, raise the heat to high, bring it to a boil, and continue to boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, approximately 12 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf, and cook for 6 more minutes. Add the 1 quart stock and bring it to a simmer.
Return the shanks to the pot. If the liquid doesn’t completely cover them, add some more stock. When the liquid returns to a simmer, cover the pot with foil or a tight- fitting lid, place it in the oven, and braise the shanks for 2 1/2 hours. Check periodically to be sure the liquid is just barely simmering. If it’s bubbling aggressively, lower the temperature by 25 degrees. After the 2 1/2 hours, the meat should pull away from the bone with just the tug of a fork; if it offers any resistance, continue to cook for i more minutes. When the shanks are done, remove the pot from the oven, remove the foil, and remove the shanks from the pot, setting them on a cutting board. Set the pot aside to let the liquid cool for about 15 minutes. When the shanks are cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, and chop or shred it.
Use tongs to remove and discard the bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary from the braising liquid; discard them. Skim off any fat that has risen to the surface. Then place the pot over high heat, bring the liquid to a boil, and let it boil, skimming off any impurities that rise to the surface, until reduced to 2 cups, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large warmed bowl. Add the reserved meat, the sauce, and the cheese, parsley, and basil. Toss, season with salt and pepper, then divide among individual plates or bowls and serve at once.
Variations: Rigatoni has the size and thickness to stand up to such a rich sauce, so use in place of pappardelle if you like.
Flavor Building: Top each serving with a creamy dollop of fresh ricotta for a stark yet sublime contrast of flavor and color.
