BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH PEANUT SAUCE

This dish is Toni TiptonMartin’s take on the various peanut-enriched stews of West Africa, specifically Senegal’s mafé. It’s served with rice (or couscous or the West African superfood fonio) and Rof Gremolata, a condiment of chopped parsley, garlic, lemon zest and Scotch bonnet pepper that marries Senegal’s rof with like-minded gremolata, from Italy.

2 tablespoons tomato

paste

4 cups beef stock (preferably homemade but I used store-bought) 1 cup creamy peanut butter 2-3 pounds lamb shank 1½ teaspoons salt ¾ teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable or

olive oil

2 cups thinly sliced onions 3 garlic cloves, minced

½ to 1 teaspoon minced Scotch bonnet pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon dried thyme 2 large bay leaves

2 carrots, peeled and cut in

quarters

Rof Gremolata (see recipe),

for serving

Hot cooked rice, couscous,

or fonio, for serving

In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste with ¼ cup of the stock. Stir the peanut butter into the remaining stock. Set both mixtures aside.

Place the shanks on a board; pat dry with paper towels. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering, then add the shanks and cook until evenly browned on all sides, about 15 minutes total. Work in batches if necessary. Do not crowd the pan.

Remove the shanks to a platter and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, chile pepper, and thyme and cook for 30 seconds.

Reduce the heat to low, add the tomato paste mixture to the onions, and cook 7 to 10 minutes, until the broth is completely evaporated.

Stir in the peanut butterstock mixture, bay leaves, and carrots. Season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Return the lamb and any juices that have collected on the platter to the pan. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 1 hour.

Uncover, increase the heat to medium, and simmer 30 minutes more to allow the gravy to thicken and the meat to become fork-tender. If necessary, let it cook longer, until the shanks are very tender. Add a little more stock or water if doing so, to prevent the sauce from getting too thick. Taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish with a spoonful of rof gremolata, and serve with rice, couscous or fonio. Serves: 4-6

Gremolata:

Mix ½ cup minced fresh parsley, 3 minced green onions, 2 minced garlic cloves, ½ seeded and minced Scotch bonnet pepper and zest of 1 lemon in a small bowl. (Makes about 1 cup. Refrigerate up to 1 week, tightly covered.) Per serving, based on 4 (with 1 tablespoon gremolata): 834 calories (percent of calories from fat, 64), 46 grams protein, 26 grams carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 59 grams fat (16 grams saturated), 91 milligrams cholesterol, 1,336 milligrams sodium. Adapted from “Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking” (Clarkson Potter, $35) by Toni-Tipton Martin

CONTRIBUTED BY CHRIS HUNT Braised Lamb Shanks with Peanut Sauce.