Something Different

One of the big supermarket chains puts out a free quarterly magazine with recipes, product reviews and the odd discount coupon. I actually do enjoy reading each issue and usually find a recipe or two that sound okay but I rarely get around to making them. Generally it finds its way into the bag of unwanted mags that I give to school or day-care and I move onto the next foodie mag that comes my way. The current issue however changed all that. I picked it up last Saturday and flicked through it that afternoon, circling a bunch of different recipes and plotting when I would make each one. A week and a half later I've made three. Each one a success that will be served up again. Soon.

Last night I tried a dish that wouldn't normally appeal to me at all. It ticks a bunch of "I don't like it" boxes for me but... I knew hubby would like it so I compromised, cooked it and was pretty impressed with the results. I used half the curry paste listed and will increase it next time. This was tasty, filling, and something out of the ordinary for me. It was also riduculously easy to make which certainly added to the overall dish. Hubby liked it, and was pleased to let his tastebuds have a run at something different, I enjoyed it (and was pleased to have done so!) and Mr-Six loved it. Little Miss has a cold and isn't into eating dinner right at the moment so we'll just skip over her non-opinion.

Indian-Style Curried Lamb Shanks

Coles magazine, Winter issue

1 tbsp vegetable oil

6 lamb shanks (I used 4 HUGE ones)

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 cup Rogan Josh Curry Paste (as noted above, I used 1/4 cup)

400g can diced tomatoes

1 cup beef stock

coriander leaves and yoghurt, to serve

1. Preheat the oven to 160C. Heat the oil in a 10-cup capacity flameproof casserole dish. Brown the shanks in 2 batches over high heat on stove top; set aside. Add onion to the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until very soft and brown.

2. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and stock, and bring to the boil. Return lamb shanks to the pan, cover tightly and bake for 2 hours in oven, until the mat is very tender.

3. Top shanks with coriander and serve with yoghurt.