Last Suppers

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By Katie Barreira

Are you home, hunkered down for Hurricane Sandy? Find yourself doing a whole lot of eating?

You’re not alone.

After a late breakfast of braised lamb, a second cup of coffee with cider donuts for dunking and a couple pieces of the forlorn Halloween candy, we broke out the Ben & Jerry’s (in case of power failure, freezer items would be first to go, so really, it was a precautionary measure.)

Still, we were starting to feel a bit slovenly, that is, until I checked my email. Dangling at the end of a conversation chain confirming the cancelation of tonight’s dinner arrangements was a message that made me feel much better about our hurricane relief efforts.

It read, “Stay safe, friends! I'm pretty sure we're all eating well, if it's any consolation.”

I responded in kind, “We had braised lamb shanks for lunch! What else is there to do but eat everything in the fridge in case the power goes?”

What followed was a litany of weather-induced meals, including, “prime rib hash a la Keen's Steakhouse using a leftover roast.” Nice!

The word on Facebook was the same; a friend posted, “Don’t know whether I’m nervous or bored, but I can’t stop snacking.”

Regardless of how you choose to explain away the behavior – refrigerator cleaning, monotony, or stock -piling calories for impending doom – catastrophic events, like Hurricane Sandy, are what last suppers were built on. I say, have as many as you can before the storm passes.

To get the recipe and shopping list on your smartphone (iPhone, BlackBerry, Android device) or PC, click here.

Braised Legs of Lamb
Serves 4
3 small yellow onions, quartered
4 large carrots, peeled and quartered lengthwise
4 ribs celery, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, stemmed and caps wiped clean with damp paper towel
2 bone-in legs of lamb (3 to 5 lbs. each)
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups red wine (like a fruity merlot)
2 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Place the onions, carrots, celery and mushrooms in a roasting pan.
2. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the lamb legs and cook, turning occasionally, until well-browned on all sides; transfer to the roasting pan.
3. Add the wine to the skillet and simmer to reduce for about 3 minutes, then pour over the lamb. Add the beef broth to the roasting pan and sprinkle with the dried herbs. Cover the pan loosely with foil and bake until the lamb is falling of the bone, 3 to 5 hours, checking every hour or so to make sure the pan has not gone dry. If pan juices start to burn, add water, about 1/4 cup at a time.
4. Transfer veggies and lamb to a platter. Strain the pan juices (you should have 1 to 2 cups) through a fine mesh sieve into a small saucepot and cook over high heat until reduced by about half. Serve lamb meat and braised veggies over a starch, such as polenta, mashed potatoes or couscous, to soak up all the juices. Serve the lamb jus at the table for passing, like gravy.

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