bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Susan Jung

To many cooks, extremities, such as tails, feet and shanks, represent an opportunity. They are often extremely tough cuts of meat but they can be transformed into delicious dishes through long, slow cooking. The soft, sticky texture of the meat comes from the collagen in the tendon, which enriches sauces.
Tagine of lamb shank, green olive and preserved lemon (pictured)
Make the preserved lemon at least two weeks in advance, so it has time to ripen. Use organic lemons because they aren't coated with wax. Alternatively, preserved lemon is sold at some supermarkets.
This recipe is based on one in the book Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco, by Paula Wolfert. If you don't have a tagine, use another heavy pan with a tight-fitting lid.
For the preserved lemons:
5-6 organic lemons
About 80 grams kosher salt or coarse sea salt For the tagine:
A large pinch of saffron strands
60ml cooking oil
80 grams grated onion
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp ground cumin
4 meaty lamb shanks, about 350 grams each
5 grams fresh coriander, finely chopped
5 grams fresh parsley, finely chopped
320 grams finely minced onion
150 grams Moroccan green olives or Kalamata olives
2 preserved lemons
50ml fresh lemon juice
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Quarter four lemons from the top to within about 1cm of the stem end, leaving each intact at the base. Sprinkle most of the salt into the lemon, over the exposed flesh, and press the fruit back together. Sprinkle salt over the bottom of a glass jar large enough to fit the four lemons fairly tightly. Put the lemons in the jar, pressing down on them so some of the juice comes out, then add additional fresh lemon juice so the lemons are entirely submerged. Put the lid on the jar and leave at room temperature for at least two weeks, shaking the jar every day so the salt dissolves.
Crush the saffron threads and soak them in 30ml of hot water. Heat the cooking oil over a low heat in a tagine and add the grated onion, turmeric, ginger, paprika, cumin and saffron. Stir to combine, then add the lamb shanks, sprinkle lightly with salt and cook over a low flame, to lightly brown the meat. Add 300ml of water and bring to the boil. Lower the flame, cover the tagine with the lid and cook at a low simmer for an hour, adding water as needed if it becomes too dry. Stir in the herbs and minced onion then cover the tagine and continue to cook until the meat is very tender.
Rinse the olives with water then remove the pits. (Lay the olives on a cutting board and bruise them with the side of a knife to loosen the pits.) Rinse the preserved lemons with water, scrape out and discard the flesh and cut the peel into smaller pieces. Add the preserved lemon, olives and fresh lemon juice to the tagine and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer the lamb shanks to a dish then put the tagine over a medium-high flame and simmer until it's reduced to a sauce consistency. Adjust the seasonings then put the lamb shanks back in the tagine and serve.
Italian-style braised oxtail
If you want to serve this more elegantly, cook the oxtail, then allow it to cool. Remove the meat from the bone and mix it back into the sauce. Reheat the ingredients then serve over pappardelle. If you have the time, cook this dish a day in advance, cool it to room temperature then refrigerate. Scrape the solidified fat from the surface before reheating.
This recipe is based on one in the book Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, by Marcella Hazan.
1 pig's foot, split in half lengthwise (have the butcher do this) About 75ml olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 medium-sized carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1.25kg oxtail cut into 3cm-wide pieces, the larger pieces (from the base of the tail) cut in half through the bone (have the butcher do this)
350ml dry white wine
300 grams canned Italian tomatoes, roughly chopped
Fine-flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
A small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Finely grated zest of one lemon
Rinse the pig's foot and oxtail under cold water to rid them of any bone shards. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil, add the pig's foot and oxtail and blanch for about a minute. Drain then rinse thoroughly under cold water.
Heat half the olive oil in a heavy pan (preferably enamelled cast iron) over a medium flame. When the oil is hot, brown the oxtail and pig's foot on all sides - do this in batches, if necessary. Remove the pieces from the pan. Pour the remaining oil into the pan (no need to wash it), add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add the carrot and celery, season with salt and cook for about three minutes. Put the oxtail and pig's foot back into the pan and add the wine slowly. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and simmer for about three minutes. Season with salt and pepper then add the canned tomato and about 200ml of water. Bring to a boil then lower the heat, cover the pan with the lid and cook at a bare simmer until the pig's foot is tender. Remove the pig's foot from the pan and, when cool enough to handle, remove and discard the bones. Finely chop the meat and skin then stir them into the sauce. Cook the ingredients until the oxtail is very tender but not falling off the bone; stir in water if it seems dry. Skim off the fat that floats to the surface of the sauce then taste for seasonings and adjust if needed. Stir in the parsley and lemon zest and serve immediately with rice, pasta or polenta.
Styling: Nellie Ming Lee
 


How to use sage and 3 recipes that make the most of its savoury flavour

How tonka beans can add a touch of spice to your desserts (and sex life)

How to zest a lemon and the best way to use it to flavour food

Celery seeds’ many uses, from flavouring Bloody Marys and Indian food to treating gout

Susan Jung's recipes

Slow cooking recipes: tagine of lamb shank, and Italian-style braised oxtail

Tagine of lamb shank, green olive and preserved lemon. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

Susan Jung shows how long, slow cooking allows tough meat like shanks to mellow into dishes that are delicious and rich


Susan Jung shows how long, slow cooking allows tough meat like shanks to mellow into dishes that are delicious and rich


Slow cooking recipes: tagine of lamb shank, and Italian-style braised oxtail

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Susan Jung shows how long, slow cooking allows tough meat like shanks to mellow into dishes that are delicious and rich

Susan Jung shows how long, slow cooking allows tough meat like shanks to mellow into dishes that are delicious and rich