Autumn hits: lamb shanks with rosemary and aromatic vegetables.

The price of meat has gone through the stratosphere as has the price of everything else so it's back to austerity cooking, if it ever left. I always cook austerely, if austere means making the most of everything and paying the least for the best. The money goes on paying too much - mixed salad leaves in a plastic bag cost anything up to $50-plus in supermarkets, but at the greengrocer they are $11-$12 in bulk. You're paying for the packaging which increasingly is ending up in the environment and ultimately ingested by animals and humans (see current reporting on the subject - no hyperlink required; it's all over the news).

So it's back to lamb shanks. Yes, I do realise the net kilogram price is higher because you can't eat the bone, but it still works out cheaper than eye fillet steak for example.

I've done lamb shanks a thousand ways over the years but versatility is what makes them work so well. Throw them in a pot with water, salt and aromatics and you've got soup; add a few thickeners and you sit down to a tasty fragrant stew.

I coated the shanks in plenty of salt and pepper and a tablespoon of flour (shake them in a bag with the seasoning) and browned them well in a large pot. Then I removed them and set them aside. In the same pot I placed a chopped onion, a couple of carrots cut into thick rounds and a clove or two of garlic. I stirred them around just to kind of introduce them to the seasoned flavour of the shanks, then I added back the shanks along with half-and-half stock and tomato puree (or use any tomato-based pasta sauce) to barely cover them, plus a good dash of white wine (or use red if you have it). I brought the whole lot to a boil and set it on the lowest heat to bubble away for a few hours.

I grew up with barley: barley was the cheap grain, and it stayed that way while gourmets had affairs with exotic grains like wild rice, brown rice, quinoa and all the other fads. But barley was king. Its nutty robust flavour and extremely satisfying texture trumped the rest and still does. I've even seen recipes for barley risotto, if it can be called that. 

Barley takes time to cook and the effort is rewarded. Salt is barely necessary but pepper adds a real kick. Use barley as a side dish to rich dishes like the above lamb shank stew and it's a match made in heaven to use a terrible cliche. Remind me never to use that one again.

I also mashed some potato into that whipped, creamy state where it peaks and served the shanks on the side with the juice drizzled over the potato. Worcestershire sauce - the ultimate condiment - to add the final touch. Unbeatable on a cold day, a warm day, a hot day; who cares. The aroma fills the house and that's just an extra bonus.