Braised Lamb Shanks With White Beans And Tomatoes

This past weekend I hosted my final lamb dinner sponsored by the Tri-Lamb Group. I've really enjoyed getting a lamb shipment every couple of months and trying new lamb-based recipes. The first shipment was a leg of lamb, which we grilled up with friends. The second shipment was ground lamb, which I turned into lamb pizza and shared with even more friends. And this last shipment contained four hefty lamb shanks, which I braised with white beans and tomatoes and served as a dinner for four. It's been a lot of fun trying these different recipes and sharing them with friends.

I hope throughout the course of my lamb dinner posts you've been inspired to make lamb at home too. It's no more complicated to cook than chicken or beef, and it's actually a pretty lean protein boasting tons of nutrients. We loved this last recipe, which is a heartier, more wintry lamb dish.

Braised Lamb Shanks With White Beans And Tomatoes (from the Tri-Lamb Group)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 lamb shanks, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery ribs, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 tablespoons herbs de provence
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes and juice
1 (19-ounce) can cannellini beans

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper. Add the shanks to hot oil and cook, browning each side, about 4 minutes per side (if necessary, cook in batches). Transfer shanks to a clean plate and set aside.

Add onion, carrot, celery, tomato paste, herbs de Provence, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add wine, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add broth, tomatoes and beans; bring mixture to a simmer.

Nestle browned lamb shanks into broth mixture; cover, transfer to oven, and cook until meat is tender and easily falls off the bone, about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours depending on size of shanks.

Serve. (I suggest cutting the meat off the bone and combining it with the vegetables in a serving bowl, so everyone can take a little of both. The shanks are huge and, I think, easily serve more than one.)

The best part of this dinner is that after we were done eating, my friend turned to me and said she would definitely make something like this at home. It looked easy. And it was really good.

Thank you to the Tri-Lamb Group for providing me with the lamb and other ingredients for this recipe and for inviting me to participate in the supper club.

How often do you eat lamb?