To Life! F- O 0 D Cocooning Winter is a great time to cook. I Annabel Cohen l Special to the Jewish News W hen it's really cold and really dark early, staying inside seems like an awfully good idea. Just yesterday, Dec. 21, was the shortest day of the year. Winter is the time of year when I'm most productive in the kitchen. Cooking is sooth- ing and with ovens and stoves at full flame, the kitchen is the most toasty room in the house. It's usually at night when I break out my cookbooks and look for ideas. Then I pre- pare what I'm in the mood for at the moment (something usually saucy and def- initely hearty) and adapt the recipes to my particular tastes. This year, my favorites .include lamb shanks, steamy and moist, salmon with a sweet and tangy glaze over soba noodles (another new obsession) and cheesecake with perennial pleasers mini-chocolate chips and gooey caramel sauce. Follow these recipes as written, or vary them. Use beef or veal instead of lamb, turkey cutlets instead of chicken, apples instead of pears, mahi mahi in place of salmon. Lamb Shanks With Tomatoes, Mushrooms And Red Wine You may make this dish with other mush- room varieties — shitake and crimini are good choices — or leave them out altogether. Delicious served with mashed potatoes, dumplings or pasta. 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 cup flour 6 large or 12 small lamb shanks (about 5-6 pounds) 2 cups chopped onion, chopped 1 cup small diced carrots 1/2 cup chopped celery 2 tsp. minced garlic 2 cups dry red wine beef broth or water 1 can (28 oz.) Italian seasoned diced tomatoes, with juices 8 oz. sliced button mushrooms 2 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes salt and pepper to taste Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge the lamb shanks in the flour and pat to remove excess flour. Set aside. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the lamb shanks to skillet and cook until well browned on all sides. Transfer the lamb to another dish and set aside. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the lamb and any col- lected juices to the pot. Add the remaining ingredients and add enough broth or water to almost cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook the lamb until very tender, about 2 1/2 hours (you may also place the pan in a 300F oven and cook, covered,for 2 1/2 to 3 hours). Makes 6 servings. Winter Panzanella Panzanella is an all-embracing name for an Italian bread salad. This one is hearty enough to be a simple entrée. 6 cups toasted French baguette cubes (about 1/2-inch cubes) 1 can (about 15 oz.) chicken peas or gar- banzo beans, drained 3 cups halved grape tomatoes I yellow or green bell pepper, chopped 1 roasted red pepper (jarred or canned is fine) 1 medium cucumber, seeded and diced 1 cup chopped red or Bermuda onion 1 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts 1 cup fresh shredded basil leaves (or 2 Tbsp. prepared pesto) 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, optional 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil sea or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1/2 cup dry cured or other good quality olives, garnish Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss well. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve immediately. Makes 8-12 servings. Seared Coconut Salmon with 28 December 22 . 2005 Asian Glaze Over Soba Noodles Soba noodles: 12 oz. package soba noodles, prepared according to package directions Glaze: 1/3 cup red wine vinegar 1/3 cup soy sauce 3 Tbsp. minced onions 3 Tbsp. oriental sesame oil 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 Tbsp. black or white sesame seeds 1 Tbsp. peeled finely chopped fresh gin- ger 1 Tbsp. sugar or brown rice syrup Salmon: 2 Tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil 4 6-oz. salmon fillet portions with or without skin kosher salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted Make glaze: Combine glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn heat off and set aside. Prepare salmon: Heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the salmon portions, skin side up, to the skillet. Sear until golden, about 3- 4 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook the other side for about 4 minutes more, until just done (do not overcook). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the salmon on a bed of noodles, with the glaze drizzled over the top and sprinkled with the coconut. Pan Seared Chicked With Pear Sauce And Balsamic Pears Sauce: 2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup think sliced celery 2 tsp. minced garlic 1 cup sparkling pear juice (or sparkling cider) 1 cup chicken broth 1/2 cup white wine 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried kosher salt and pepper to taste Chicken: 2 Tbsp. olive oil 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, pounded slightly to flatten kosher salt and pepper to taste 2 pears, any variety, cored and cut into 16 thin wedges each 2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar 4 sprigs (about 3 inches each) fresh rose- mary, garnish Make Sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and cook until reduced by half. Keep the sauce warm until ready to use. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 275(F. Make chicken: Heat oil in large skillet over high heat until very hot. Season chick- en with salt and pepper and cooked through and golden on both sides. Remove the chicken to a baking dish and keep in warm oven. Add the pears to the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes, turning gently. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook until the vinegar is evapo- rated. Place the chicken on 4 individual din- ner plates and spoon the sauce over. Top with the pears and serve. Makes 4 servings. Pecan Crusted Caramel Topped Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Crust: 1 cup lightly toasted pecans 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbg 1/4 cup sugar. 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter Filling: 2 pounds cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup sour cream 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup flour 4 large eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1/2 tsp. salt 2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips Topping: 1 cup sugar 1 cup heavy whipping cream (not whipped) 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips Make crust: Preheat oven to 325E Combine crust ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until fine and crumbly. Press the crust into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven to cool. Make filling: Using an electric mixer beat cream cheese and sour cream until light. Add the brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in remaining ingredients, one at a time until the filling is uniform. Transfer the filling to the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour, turn off heat and allow to cool in the oven for 30 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool completely. Make topping: In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook sugar, stirring constant- ly, until it is a light golden color (it will clump, then melt). Remove from heat and slowly add the cream. Place the pan back on the heat and stir until the mixture is smooth, shiny and thickened. Run a knife around the inside perimeter of the springform pan before removing the collar. Spread or drizzle the caramel over the cheesecake and sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips. Chill until ready to serve and cut into thin wedges with a very thin sharp knife or use dental floss, held tight with two hands to slice the cake in half then into wedges. Makes 12-16 or more servings. Ell More recipes are at JNOnline.com .