This is the first time I’ve ever made lamb. I don’t like lamb, and the idea of eating lamb is unpleasant to me. However, Larry loves lamb. Amy sent me this recipe, from Bobby Flay’s Bolo, and assured me that it is more like beef stew than lamb. I have had tastes of lamb at restaurants when Larry orders it on occasion, and every time it was good, so I decided to go for it. Plus, braising is one of my favorite cooking techniques. The lamb was very good. Larry loved it. We both thought the orzo was a little bland – both of us like orzo with some butter and parmesan.
– I made everything according to the recipe, except I roasted the tomatoes at 350 degrees (with the lamb). This is the temperature I usually roast tomatoes anyway, and I didn’t have four hours to spend roasting tomatoes. I used a Zinfandel for the wine – leftover David Bruce, and Lewis Port.
– Amy sent me notes with a copy of her recipe, and I’m glad she did – it was helpful. I had the butcher french the shanks, which made for a nice presentation. I also added a cornstarch slurry to the sauce during the last reduction, which gave it some sheen and body.

• Oven-Braised Lamb Shanks with Toasted Orzo (Bobby Flay, Starchefs)
• Sourdough bread with Sauteed Garlic Butter (Fine Cooking #43, March 2001, p. 49)

Wine: Christopher Creek 1999 Estate Reserve Syrah (Dry Creek Valley, California). I opened this while I was making dinner, thinking a nice chewy Syrah would be perfect with this. When I checked the recipe on the web site, I saw that the suggested wine was ”
a meaty Syrah from California”. This wine fit the bill. It definitely needs food – it’s huge. A big, full-bodied Zinfandel would also be nice.