homemade supper

There's nothing better than a made from scratch, home cooked supper. The warm, comforting smells that waft through the house, announcing what awaits us. I love to cook. To try new recipes, new techniques. But, mostly I like giving my family something hearty and wholesome at the end of a long, hard day.

One of my goals has always been to produce as much of what we eat here on the farm. Although we are not always as successful as we'd like, we still try. And, in leaner times, when the farm has not treated us well we always have the Farmers' Market to help us along.

Last night's menu was a take on osso buco, which I made with "homegrown" lamb shanks, Parmesan mashed potatoes and sauteed baby spinach. The recipe is my own concoccsion, adapted for the crockpot. There is a bit more liquid in, so when finished just put the shanks on a plate and tent them, the pour the liquid in a saucepan and cook down until thick.

lamb osso buco

2 lamb shanks

1 yellow onion, chopped fine

2 carrots, chopped fine

2 cloves, garlic, minced

2 strips lemon peel

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 pint beef broth

1/2 pint Italian stewed tomatoes, coasely chopped

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Season shanks with salt and pepper. Chop all vegetables, plus garlic and place in bottom of crockpot. Set shanks on top of vegetables. Pour wine, broth and tomoateos over the shanks and arrange lemon peel and bay along sides of shanks.

Cook on high all day. Before serving, remove shanks to a warm plate and tent with foil. Pour liquid into a large pot and cook down to a thickened sauce.

Plate shanks with mashed potatoes and spoon sauce over top.

Enjoy!