Lamb Shanks With Cannellini Beans Recipes

LAMB SHANKS ON CANNELLINI BEANS

Steps:

• Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add lamb;cook 12 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from skillet.
• Add carrots,onions, and celery to skillet;saute 3 minutes. Add wine. Bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes.
• Stir in broth, rosemary, tomatoes, and bay leaves. Return lamb to skillet (skillet will be very full). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 hours or until lamb is very tender, turning lamb once. Remove lamb from skillet, bring liquid to a boil, and cook 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves.
• Sort and wash beans; place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water to 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil, and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain beans; place in Dutch oven. Cover with water 2 inches above beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until tender. Drain.
• Cook bacon in the Dutch oven over med-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from Dutch oven, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in Dutch oven. Crumble bacon. Heat drippings over med-high heat. Add garlic; saute 2 minutes or until golden. Stir in beans and bacon; remove from heat.
• Divide beans evenly among 6 plates, arrange lamb on beans. Spoon sauce over lamb. Garnish with rosemary sprigs, if desired.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Make lamb shanks:
• Pat lamb shanks dry and season with salt and pepper. In an 8-quart heavy flameproof casserole heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown lamb shanks well in batches, transferring to a plate as browned. To casserole add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and sauté until onion is softened. Add wine and simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 3 cups. Return lamb shanks to casserole and stir in broth, tomato paste, and thyme. Bring liquid to a boil and simmer, covered, stirring and turning lamb shanks occasionally, 1 1/2 hours. Simmer mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 1 hour more, or until lamb shanks are tender.
• Make the gremolata while lamb is cooking:
• In a small bowl stir together gremolata ingredients.
• Make beans while lamb is cooking:
• In a saucepan heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and cook onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, stirring, 2 or 3 minutes, or until softened. Add beans, 2 cups broth, butter, and bay leaf and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally and adding enough remaining broth to keep beans moist and to reach a creamy consistency, about 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf and add half of gremolata and salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer lamb shanks to a plate and keep warm, covered with foil. Strain braising liquid through a sieve into a saucepan, discarding solids, and stir in butter and tarragon. Boil sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly. Strain sauce through sieve into a bowl and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Sprinkle lamb shanks with remaining gremolata and serve with beans and sauce.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Make small incisions in the lamb shanks and stud them with the slivers of garlic. Sprinkle the lamb with the rosemary. Coat the shanks with two tablespoons of the olive oil, cover, and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Soak the beans overnight in cold water to cover.
• Rinse the beans, put them in a large saucepan and cover them with fresh water. Add an onion, chopped, the herb bouquet, and salt and pepper. Simmer for about an hour, or until the beans are tender.
• Heat remaining olive oil in a large pan and brown the lamb shanks on all sides. Remove the shanks and pour off the fat.
• Chop the remaining onions and add them to the pan. Cook gently until the onions are soft. Add the carrots, wine, lamb shanks and stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for an hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Drain beans, reserving cooking liquid. In a large casserole, put a layer of beans, a layer of salt pork, the vegetables and the juice from the shanks and then the shanks. Add remaining beans and juices. If the stew is too dry, add some of the liquid from the beans. Bake one hour.
• Sprinkle with bread crumbs and butter and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes longer. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

LAMB SHANK WITH LIMA BEANS IN THE FRENCH STYLE

Steps:

• To reconstitute the dried beans, soak them overnight or bring them to a boil in a pan of water, remove from heat, let soak two hours, then drain.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a large saute pan. Over medium-high heat brown the lamb on all sides, and set aside. Drain the fat, and deglaze the pan with the water. Set the liquid aside.
• In a large, heavy ovenproof casserole, saute the chopped shallots in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over a low-medium heat, until translucent. Add garlic; saute for another minute. Add the brandy or grappa and the tomatoes; cook over low heat for five minutes. Add the bay leaf and thyme.
• Arrange the lamb in the pan, meatier side down, add the drained beans, add the deglazing liquid from the browning pan, and pour in the wine. Bring slowly to a simmering boil; reduce the heat to a simmer, and simmer five minutes.
• Cover and bake in the oven for two hours, or cook on top of the stove for two hours, checking periodically that the liquid is at a simmer, not a rolling boil.
• Serve one shank to a person with a cup of beans and liquid.