We Didn't Celebrate Easter, But

Lamb and Vice: I’ll start with the vice. I have many of them, but you who know me may be particularly aware of my salt vice. As for salt: many people like salt, but I like salt more. Its not something I’m proud of, but there you go. You may have witnessed me liberally dusting my dishes while trying to distract you with witty conversation, so that you wouldn’t notice how much salt I used. If, at such times, you did notice and commented on my salt use, I probably told you it’s all good, ‘cause my blood pressure’s low. Friends, take heed: that was an excuse made an addict.

So, my original plan for Lamb and Vice was to roast a leg of lamb in a salt crust (basically, a mixture of flour, salt, and water). This crust was for flavor only: it was to be removed after roasting and was not to be eaten. If you’ve noticed the imperative indicative future tense I’ve been using, then you’ll know that I did not actually end up roasting a leg of lamb in a salt crust. This was because the grocery store had no legs of lamb for sale, and so I bought shanks instead.



Lamb: The Shank

The shank looks like a large cut of meat, but it deceives, tricky meat! The shank serves only one. It is also a rather tough piece of meat, and so it ought to be simmered for a long time. These two pieces of wisdom were not mine until I after I (thinking I could substitute them for the legs in my salt crust plot) had purchased some shanks. Perhaps I could have made the substitution, but in lieu of the new information about the toughness of a shank, I decided to simmer the shanks in a red wine-rosemary sauce rather them roast them; then, after the shanks had become tender, I baked them in a goat cheese crust. The lamb came to the table with new German Butterball potatoes that had been roasted (and liberally salted) in olive oil and also with roasted asparagus sprinkled with Parmesan cheese (and salt).



The Secondary Vice: Chocolate

I know we did chocolate last month, but I still like chocolate, even though it’s March and in spite of that it’s cliché to claim chocolate as a vice. So, for dessert: French Chocolate Almond Cake, a recipe taken from the Moosewood Restaurant Cookbook: New Classics, and chosen specifically because it includes in its ingredient list cinnamon and black pepper. It was very nice—crispy outside, chewy inside and topped with fresh whipped cream— but I might have another go at a vice dessert and try for something that includes salt. My friend Gretchen made a most inspiring come-to-jesus Coarse Salt Sprinkled Chocolate Torte. Along those lines I was thinking about a Course Salt Sprinkled Key Lime Pie. As an aside, the types of salt you use when cooking and/or finishing dishes can and should be a serious consideration, and you have lots of options here. If you think you’re familiar with salt, think again.