ro Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Can anyone help me in finding lamb shanks. I need to know what to ask for as I am not being very successful at the moment. As a mediocre (a bit of an exaggeration) cook I need to put on a bit of a spread and have a tried and tested recipe but can't find the main ingredient. Help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted December 9, 2006 Share Posted December 9, 2006 Souris d'agneau, I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Riff-Raff Element Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 [quote user="Dick Smith"]Souris d'agneau, I believe.[/quote]....though I think you will be lucky to find them in a supermarketchiller cabinet. The butchery counter might be able to help, but aproper butcher is a better bet. It's not a cut often used in Frenchrecipes - it normally stays attached to the gigot. Come to think of it,I don't think that it was much used in British cookery as a seperatecut until Mr Oliver did something with it; it's more a US cut, I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pancake Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 You could always print out this diagram and show the Butcher....[:D]http://missvickie.com/howto/meat/meatlamb.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innocents Abroad Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I asked the butcher on the meat section in Leclerk for this recently by pointing to a gigot and indicating that I wanted the bottom bit. He went to look in the chiller cabinet, which suggests they do sell them, though I've never seen them I must admit, and when he couldn't find any he simply chopped the bottoms off two gigots for me - lovely man. He also confirmed that they are indeed called souris d'agneau.And by the way, I grew up eating casseroled lamb shanks, up't north, long before Mr Oliver, or indeed Mr Rhodes before him, had anything to do wi't price o' fish [:)]Lynda M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSA Aude Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 We can also find them on the chilled counter in Leclerc. Only cooked them once and a complete disaster - pleeeese svp could you post your recipe. Many, many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 Leeks, carrots, onions, celery, stock, red wine, bay, seasonings.Brown the meat in a heavy casserole, then sweat the veg, put the meat back in, add liquids (not too much wine, it detracts from the sweetness) and cook very slowly until it is so tender it falls off the bone. Serve with either roast or pureed potatoes, other veg to taste.I have also had them from Champion, very good quality. Our local butcher (UK) cuts them too large. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Riff-Raff Element Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 [quote user="Innocents Abroad"]And by the way, I grew up eating casseroled lamb shanks, up't north,long before Mr Oliver, or indeed Mr Rhodes before him, had anything todo wi't price o' fish [:)]Lynda M[/quote]Ah, well that's rather the point. They used to a nice quality, cheapcut - now they cost the earth. I just hope that Gordon Ramsey orwhoever doesn't popularise pigs' cheeks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwyncelyn Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 Hi I think the Roux brothers spawned the recipe. However being Welsh by origine I think it was us that came upon the idea in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 I've been eating them for years and I'm neither a Roux brother or Welsh... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassis Posted December 10, 2006 Share Posted December 10, 2006 Here are some useful links:French Lamb cutsFrench Beef cutsFrench Piggy cutsAn online English-French food dictionaryThe Scribo A-Z Anglo-French Food Dictionary (to buy)Beef charts for the rest of the world (not France)I've posted these a few times and they normally have something to offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ro Posted December 11, 2006 Author Share Posted December 11, 2006 Fantastic help thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted December 11, 2006 Share Posted December 11, 2006 They must be catching on here too because last winter I was buying them at about 1.50-1.80€ each but today I bought some and they were 3.50€ each, but all this talk here had given me an appetite for them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted December 12, 2006 Share Posted December 12, 2006 Braised in red wine, leeks etc., served with mash they are the ultimate comfort food...Freezes well, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 We get them either from Intermarché or our local butcher. I do them in our electrifical frying pan with just a drop of olive oil and red wine. High heat to brown and then right down until the liquid is just moving. Walk away for a couple of hours and as Dick said, the meat falls off the bone, yum, yum.I do duck legs the same way and they are wonderful [:D].We tried boudin blanc yesterday for the first time. We have always avoided them as they look like trype, hate trype [+o(][+o(]. What a treat we have been missing. It is really good and tasty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 You know the crispy shredded duck which Chinese takeaways offer? Like an overcooked confit, you put it into little pancakes with plum sauce & green stuff? Ours now does crispy lamb as well - delicious! Lamb from near the bone overcooked is a real treat - my mother always used to let me have the shanky bit as a kid, and I have adored it ever since. She also used to cook roasted breasts of veal - now, can we get those in France, and what are they called? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 [quote user="Dick Smith"]You know the crispy shredded duck which Chinese takeaways offer? Like an overcooked confit, you put it into little pancakes with plum sauce & green stuff? Ours now does crispy lamb as well - delicious! [/quote]Sounds suspiciously like a kebab for the middle classes Dick. A sheep in lambs clothing. [;-)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Smith Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Not a kebab. You can eat them perfectly sober, and there's no grease to drip down your shirt...So perhaps that is a middle-class kebab, after all.Oh - and no chilli sauce!Hyew wan' sala' wi' that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innocents Abroad Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 In the UK we used to have crispy lamb at our local chinese restaurant but instead of pancakes it was served with whole iceberg lettuce leaves plus the usual chopped spring onions, chopped cucumber and hoisin sauce. As we don't have a chinese restaurant or takeaway anywhere near, we now do our own 'crispy duck' with well cooked confit - authentically and artistically shredded with two forks [;-)], the iceberg lettuce idea and the aforementioned accompaniments (we can get hoisin from the English (?) section of Intermarche). Absolutely delish - and much better for you than the pancakes!Lynda M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonzjob Posted December 17, 2006 Share Posted December 17, 2006 Hi Lynda, the lettuce may be better for you, but I'm not too sure about the hoisin? Have a look at what E numbers are in it and I'll have a lok at our little E book for you, if you wish [:)]? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innocents Abroad Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Hi John, actually there are only two E's and they're right at the end of the ingredients list. The first one is E260, which is acetic acid, i.e. vinegar, but the E122 is a red colourant called Carmoisine It appears to be used a lot in the UK but is actually banned in some countries. It can cause hyperactivity in children and an allergic reaction to anyone, but those with asthma are particulalry susceptible. I actually do have asthma, but have never had any bad reactions to hoi sin sauce - though can often be found doing housework at 3am [blink] !Seriously though, if you're interested in additives and don't have John's little E book then here's a link that might be useful:http://nac.allergyforum.com/additives/index.htmlp.s. E122 is a common additive in marzipan - [:-))] !!! Lynda M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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