Tarragon Lamb Shanks With Cannellini Beans Food

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 CANNELLINI BEANS

Steps:

• Begin by skinning the tomatoes. Place them in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water on to them. Leave them for exactly a minute, then remove them and slip off their skins (protecting your hands with a tea cloth if they are hot). You can watch how to do this in our Online Cookery School Video on the right. Then chop them fairly roughly. Next, using a potato peeler, remove the worst of the stringy bits from the celery and cut it into 2 inch (5 cm) chunks. Now pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275°F (140°C). After that, you need to heat the oil in the casserole over a highish heat. Then, season the lamb shanks with salt and freshly milled black pepper and, when the oil is really hot, brown them on all sides, holding them at the bone end while protecting your hand again with the tea cloth, and turning them round in the hot oil. When they're nicely browned, remove them to a plate and, keeping the heat high, add the celery, onion and carrots and brown them as well, turning and tossing them around for about 6 minutes. Now stir in the garlic, cook for one minute, then add the drained beans and give everything another good stir. Next, add the tomatoes, wine, bay leaf, chopped rosemary and some seasoning. Then, finally, place the lamb shanks on top and when everything is beginning to simmer, cover with the lid and transfer the casserole to the oven to braise very slowly for 3 hours. Serve garnished with the sprigs of rosemary.

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.