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autumn olive medley

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Lamb

Autumn Olive Medley

In this dish I combine green olives with one of my favorite meats, lamb shanks, and two of my favorite vegetables, celery root and fennel. If you haven't used celery root or fennel before, this dish is a great way to start. Their mellow nuttiness combines perfectly with the tangy olives and the savory lamb. It's an instant trip to the Mediterranean on a cool autumn day, and you don't even have to buy a plane ticket.

Ingredients

  • 4 lamb shanks
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 large shallots
  • 1 fennel bulb
  • 1 softball-sized celery root (celeriac)
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon dried bouquet garni
  • 2 cups young red wine
  • 2 cups veal or beef broth
  • 1 cup green olives, pits in
  • 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in oil
  • 1 splash Ricard or Pernod (optional)
  • finely grated zest of 1 lemon

Directions

  • Brown the lamb shanks all over. Take your time with this and get them really nice and brown. Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside.
  • Dice the fennel bulb into small pieces. Peel the celery root and dice into the same size pieces as the fennel. Peel and chop the shallots and garlic. Lightly brown the vegetables in the pan used for the meat. When the vegetables are browned add the meat back to the pan. Add the bay leaf, the bouquet garni, the wine, and the broth. Cover the pan and simmer over medium low heat for 1 hour.
  • Add the olives and the sundried tomatoes to the pot. If necessary, add a little more wine or broth. Simmer, covered, an additional 30 minutes, or until the meat is nearly falling off the bone.
  • If you'd like to emphasize the fennel flavor and bring out the mellowness of the olives, add a splash of Ricard or Pernod. This really does enhance the dish, and is very Mediterranean. Taste the sauce and add additional salt and/or pepper to taste. Just before serving sprinkle the lamb with the finely grated lemon zest (use a Microplane if you have one).
  • You can gently pull the meat off the bone and serve it as a stew, or as a sauce over pasta. You can also serve these on the bone as is, or over polenta. Be sure to mention to your diners that the olives contain pits!

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