“Liam Gallaghar’s” Sticky Port Lamb Shanks with blue cheese dumplings

This week's recipe is based on a tweet by good friend Colin Enquist. He pointed out that he had someone navigate to his blog Stacks of Words by writing into google "Does Liam Gallaghar own a slow cooker?". Try searching and his blog will be the first thing you see.

We even tweeted Liam, but with no response. So here is a recipe I've written for sticky port Lamb Shanks with Blue Cheese Dumplings.

“Liam Gallaghar’s” Sticky Port Lamb Shanks with blue cheese dumplings

Ingredients:

4-6 Lamb Shanks

Olive Oil

1/2 cup flour

1 medium-large leek

2 garlic cloves

1 cup of beef glaze

Balsalmic vinegar

maple syrup

1/2 cup of port

1 Tablespoon Paprika

1/4 Cardamon ground

1 small dried chilli (crushed)

200g Brown mushrooms (halved)

1 Tablespoon cornflour

1 Tablespoon water

thyme

Bay leaves

Blue Cheese Dumplings

250g Self raising flour

125g butter

100g Blue vein cheese

75g parmesan cheese

thyme

parsley 

1. To make beef glaze put 2 cups of beef stock in a saucepan and boil until it has reduced by half. 

Add port and syrup and bring to the boil. Remove from heat.

2. Place flour salt and pepper in a freezer bag. Place shanks in the flour one at a time. Lightly coat with the flour. 

3. Heat oil in a fry pan on medium-high heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes until browned. Transfer to the slow cooker.

4. Clean out saucepan. Add oil to pan on low heat. sweat out. 

Add spices to mix and continue cooking add to slow cooker with herbs.
5. Cook on the slow cooker on the auto setting for 6-8 hours. Basting every now and then.

After 1 hour:

After 4 hours:

6. Resist the urge to make the dumplings now.Cook off button mushrooms in a little oil. Add to the slow cooker. Remove the shanks if needed and add to a preheated oven to keep warm.

7. Mix cornflour and water in a 1:1 ratio until smooth. Add to the slow cooker.

8. Make your dumplings just before cooking. Sift flour and add butter. 

Combine until they have a bread crumb consistency. Add the herbs and a little salt. 

Gently add the cheeses.

Start to work into a dough a teaspoon of cold water at a time.
9. Form the dumplings into large marble sized balls. Ads them to the mixture and cook for 40 minutes.

10. Serve on twice cooked polenta.

So the dumplings didn't work, but mixed in with the sauce sure is tasty.