Real Food Has Curves

If ever there was a recipe that begged for an apology, this is it: a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners, forget-the-quick-and-easy feat.

Most of the time, Bruce is on a pretty short leash. I'm always the one playing the food prude:"But it's got to have fewer ingredients (or steps or necessary techniques) for anyone to make it."

Until our HAM book, that is. There, he was given free rein--and some of the recipes are wild, crazy and wonderful, his creativity on full display. (However, I'll admit that I stuck a sidebar on some of them called "Slash The Ingredient List," all about how to do the same thing with fewer items.)

Well, here's one of his more fanciful creations and the kind of food he lavishes on me and our weekend guests: a grill/braise recipe with Vietnamese flavors that takes on all comers.

You have to prepare the grill for both direct and indirect, medium-heat cooking. In other words, you have to light some of the ranks on a gas grill, leaving others unlit so there's no heat directly underneath that part of the grate. On a charcoal grill, you have to build a medium-heat, well-ashed coal bed, then rake the coals to one side of their grate so that the upper grate has a section directly over the heat and one to the side of it. And medium heat. Not too hot to burn things up. Oh, and one more thing: if you're using a charcoal grill, you have to have extra briquets to feed the fire as the time ticks by.

But the night before all the folderol, tie butchers' twine around the perimeters of four 1-pound beef shanks. Then mix 1 tablespoon dried chipotle powder, 2 teaspoons five spice power, and 2 teaspoons dark brown sugar in a small bowl. Rub this mixture all over the shanks, then plop them in a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until the next day.

Once you've got the fire set up, put the shanks directly over the heat on the grate and grill, turning occasionally, until nicely browned and caramelized on both sides, about 10 minutes.

Move the shanks to an unheated part of the grill, then set a heavy, large, oven-safe casserole directly over the heat. Pour in 2 tablespoons peanut oil, then let that get nice and hot for a couple minutes. Add 1 chopped large yellow onion, 1/4 cup minced lemongrass (the white and very pale green parts of the stalks only), 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger, and 3 minced medium garlic cloves. Oh, and here's the kicker: also add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro root. If you go to a high-end supermarket or a farmers' market, you can often find the cilantro with the root still attached. Cut off these roots plus about 2 inches of the stem. (Save back the leaves for another purpose.) Wash the roots very well (they're quite dirty), then mince them and the stems and throw them into the pot. Let all that go over the heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and soft, about 10 minutes.

Pour in 3 cups chicken broth, 1/2 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, 6 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, and a star anise pod. Scrape and stir the pot as the mixture comes to a simmer, getting all the browned gunk off its bottom. Nestle the shanks into the mixture, cover the pot, and slide it to the unheated portion of the grate. Cover the grill and cook (aka barbecue) until the shanks are just getting tender but still holding tight against their bones, about 2 1/2 hours.

Two notes:

1. Make sure it's rice vinegar, not seasoned rice vinegar. You don't need any extra sugar. Read the bottle to make sure you don't have the seasoned stuff--or just check the ingredient list on the back.

And 2. What do you do for 2 1/2 hours? Follow Dreydl's example and chill out. (Boy, am I ever glad the puppy stage is over and done! And check out those three new gooseberry bushes I put into the backyard.)

OK, back to the task at hand. Mix 2 tablespoons honey and 1 tablespoon rice vinegar in a small bowl. Uncover the pot and use tongs to grab the shanks and put them directly over the heat. Be careful: they can start to fall apart. Brush the honey glaze over them, cover the grill, and cook them directly over the heat without turning until the glaze turns dark and crunchy and the bottom side of the shanks gets a little crusty, about 10 minutes.

Use a spatula and those tongs to lift them gently off the grate and back into the pot. Now move the pot directly over the heat, cover the grill, and cook until the sauce turns thick and rich, until the meat is tender enough to be falling off the bone, about 1 hour.

Serve it over sticky, short-grain, white rice and some steamed greens. (Bruce put the rice and some chopped kale into the rice cooker, added the requisite water for the rice, snapped on the lid, and let it go.)

I told you it was a no-holds-barred, no-compromise feat. I could apologize for the recipe, but I'm too busy relishing every bite.