I’ve started a Google doc.
In an effort to deepen the legitimacy of my own creativity, I’m organizing. Data and statistics maybe in the pipeline, but for now I’m all about documenting and monitoring progress. I occupied a “magical thinking” mindset when I used to do anything creative. The notion that anyone should wait for inspiration to strike or only take action when inspiration exists is negligent. How I am proceeding is certainly not romantic my dears. The grit is what I’m deeply interested in. Rolling up my sleeves and genuinely thinking about what I want to eat and what I want to write. The dishes I make are tools of expression like a looking glass. The health of my work is directly related to my own personal health and it’s time to tidy up and present fully.
Currently, I’m developing a recipe for tiramisu cookies. The first version was good but didn’t have the spread I was looking for. The second version is very impressive and like a thoroughbred is “showing well.” As I work out what I cook vs. what I write, I find that I’m deeply interested in my own process of how I got to this very moment. I wish that I could fire out blazing hit after blazing hit, however, my work tends to move like magma. The steady ooze from the seemingly never-ending source of staying warmed up is my modus operandi. When I looked back at the end of 2023, I was astonished at the marginal gains. In James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits, he discusses at great length the theory of marginal gains and the lasting impact that small changes can have on your life. My friends, he’s absolutely correct. By the end of last year I published 30 newsletters and I may have fallen off the sofa and landed on a beautiful freshly vacuumed rug.
I love saving the original cooking videos I made on instagram, they’re silly and experimental. Recently, I wrote out a new structure for making the cooking videos I’m eager to roll out. As the daylight gets longer I yearn to seize that natural light and monitor my own evolution. By the time this newsletter is published, I will have reached 500 days of morning pages, a practice I started back in 2022. Creativity has always been in my life, but living in the action phase has only been in affect in the past two years. I’m grateful that I said “no” to a career causing me a slow death. I’m cautious to not speak about the warped state of mind I was in when I wanted to own a restaurant. I’m silently buzzing about my own life over here feeling inspired by you and me.
Braised Lamb, Chickpeas and Olive Salsa Verde
Do not turn on the stove top. In fact, just preheat your oven to 275ºF. Forget searing, disregard sweating, abandon any notion you knew about braising. The boldest, brightest and most brilliant food coming from Europe is mostly just whacked on a plate. I love a recipe where the main objective is patience. There are two worlds at play here, a kiss of vitality and a cauldron of persistence. A elegant salsa verde awakening braised lamb and chickpeas from their slumber. This dishes tagline would say, “incredibly long, impossibly easy.”
Please note: Taggiasca olives are hard to find. Castelvetrano, Picholine and Niçoise are all good substitutes.
Serves 4
For the lamb:
2 lamb shanks
1 red onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, core removed, thinly sliced
2 split red chilis, or 1 tsp of crushed red chili flakes
4 anchovy fillets
3 sprigs of marjoram or oregano
2 fresh bay leaves
14oz (400g) dried chickpeas, organic if you can
750ml of dry white wine
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 bunches of swiss chard, roughly chopped
juice from half a lemon, freshly squeezed
For the salsa verde:
1 bunch of mint, washed, picked, finely chopped
1 bunch of Italian parsley, washed, picked, finely chopped
2 sprigs of marjoram or oregano, leaves removed and finely chopped
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
2 tsp capers (preferably salted), rinsed, drained, finely chopped
3oz pitted Taggiasca olives, (preferably in olive oil) roughly chopped
1T Dijon mustard
1 tsp red wine vinegar
200ml of *High Quality* extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Prepare the lamb braise:
Preheat the oven to 275ºF.
In your largest oven safe dutch oven add lamb shanks, red onion, garlic, chili, anchovy, marjoram, bay, chickpeas, wine, and 2000ml of water. Season liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. To start the braise, ensure the lamb shanks are well submerged in liquid and that the chickpeas are completely submerged. Place the lid on the pot and braise in the oven for 12 hours, checking moisture content after 6 hours. The fat that gathers on top should not cause concern. It’s not about the lamb as much as it is about the chickpeas. Taste the liquid after six hours. If it tastes seasoned, don’t add anymore salt. Add salt only if the braising liquid comes across dull.
Do braise the lamb for the full 12 hours, nothing terrible will happen, it can be done around 11 hours. The full 12 hours yields the best tasting finished product.
Remove the lamb from the pot gently and set aside to finish cooking the chickpeas with the swiss chard on the stove over medium heat. If the mixture is watery, reduce and evaporate until the consistency resembles stew, fluid yet viscous. Adjust the seasoning and squeeze in lemon juice after cooking for 10-15 minutes and cut the heat. Add lamb back to the pot and hold warm until serving. The meat from the lamb will be falling apart, be gentle.
Make the salsa verde:
*Due to the freshness of salsa verde, please make last minute close to serving.
In a medium to large bowl add finely chopped mint, parsley, marjoram, anchovy, capers, olives, mustard, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil. Give a vigorous stir to incorporate the whole mixture. See if the salsa verde need more olive oil, it should be fluid and have the body of a thick sauce. Taste and see if the sauce needs kosher salt. The salsa verde holds freshly ground black pepper well, so go off in this department. If there is a preference for more tartness, add some lemon juice.
Plate up the braise:
The idea of this dish is centered on having a rich couple of tender bits of braised lamb with a generous amount of legumes and greens. This is not a meat dish. In the process of braising the chickpeas become engorged and the lamb melts. The ending result is a well balanced meal. There may be some left over chickpeas with swiss chard. Utilize the salsa verde intentionally. The sauce can easily over power the whole dish, however, if utilized correctly, the mint and olives coexist with the lamb marvelously. It’s saucy and may require some crusty bread to gather up all the drippings.