Red blend offers more than price

<p>Our Wine of the Week, Stephen Vincent 2008 Crimson ($13), is a crowd-pleaser for a couple of reasons and the first is price.</p><p>You can, of course, find plenty of wines under $10 and even under $5 but it's not always easy to find one with the balance and sophistication of this pleasant quaffer.</p><p>Cheap wines are a gamble unless you're already familiar with what is in the bottle.</p><p>This 2008 Crimson, which is a blend of 75 percent syrah and 25 percent cabernet sauvignon, is a perfect wine for the season, especially in cold weather; it pairs beautifully with winter comfort foods such as braised meats and earthy grains.</p><p>The fruit is dark and ripe, yet subdued and elegant, with flavors of damp earth, licorice root and warm spices creating a pleasing depth and breadth of flavor.</p><p>Tannins are remarkably smooth and soft, without any drying roughness.</p><p>The wine has more in common with French Rhone reds than it does with the fruit-bomb style that has been popular in California.</p><p>For me, the key to pairing this wine most successfully can be found in the hint of concentrated black olive, a taste that lingers on the wine's long finish.</p><p>Wines such as this one are excellent with red meats, including wild game; add some oil-cured black olives and that match will soar.</p><p>For today's recipe, I'm suggesting a seasonal favorite, lamb shanks. With black olives in both the braising liquid and in the farro that accompanies the dish, the match is reinforced with every single bite.</p><p>In addition, the dish can be made in advance and warmed immediately before serving.</p><p>It can also be doubled or tripled, making it an easy option for a holiday party.</p><p>Lamb Shanks with Farro and Black Olives</p><p>Makes 4 servings, easily doubled or tripled</p><p>-- Olive oil</p><p>4 lamb shanks, trimmed as needed</p><p>-- Kosher salt</p><p>-- Black pepper in a mill</p><p>1 onion, sliced into thin rounds</p><p>5 or 6 garlic cloves, sliced into very thin rounds</p><p>1 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted</p><p>2 parsley sprigs</p><p>2 thyme sprigs</p><p>1 bay leaf</p><p>2 cups dry red wine</p><p>3 cups beef, lamb or duck stock</p><p>1 cup semipearled farro</p><p>3 tablespoons minced Italian parsley</p><p>Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.</p><p>Pour a little olive oil into a large deep pot, such as a Dutch oven, set over medium heat.</p><p>Add the shanks and brown evenly all over. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a plate.</p><p>Add the onion to the pan and saute until soft and fragrant, about 10 minutes; add the garlic and saute 2 minutes more.</p><p>Set aside about a quarter of the olives and add the rest to the pan, along with the browned shanks, parsley, thyme and bay.</p><p>Add the red wine, increase the heat to high and simmer until the wine is reduced by about half.</p><p>Add the stock, bring to a boil and cover the pot with its lid or a sheet of aluminum foil.</p><p>Transfer to the oven and cook for 2 to 2½ hours, until very tender, turning the shanks now and then.</p><p>About an hour before you expect the shanks to be done, cook the farro.</p><p>First, put the grain into a strainer, rinse it under cool water and transfer it to a medium saucepan.</p><p>Add enough water to cover it by about 3 inches. Stir in 2 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil over high heat.</p><p>Skim off the foam that forms on top of the water, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently until the farro is tender, about 35 to 40 minutes.</p><p>Remove from the heat and keep hot.</p><p>Remove the shanks from the oven and set the pot over high heat.</p><p>Working quickly, transfer the shanks to a plate, cover and keep hot. Use tongs to remove and discard the herb sprigs and bay leaf.</p><p>Simmer the cooking juices until reduced by about two thirds. Taste and correct for salt and pepper.</p><p>Mince the reserved olives.</p><p>Stir the minced olives and half the Italian parsley into the farro and transfer it to a wide shallow serving bowl.</p><p>Set the shanks on top of the farro, drizzle some of the juices over the top and sprinkle the remaining parsley on top.</p><p>Serve immediately, with the remaining pan juices alongside.</p><p>Michele Anna Jordan hosts "Mouthful" each Sunday at 7 p.m. on KRCB 90.9 &amp; 91.1 FM. E-mail Jordan at michele@ micheleannajordan.com.</p>