BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH WHITE BEAN PUREE

Braised Lamb Shanks With White Bean Puree image

Provided by Bryan Miller

Time 3h20m

Yield 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

6 lamb shanks
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 medium onion, peeled and cut in large pieces
4 ribs celery, cut in 3/4-inch slices
2 carrots, peeled and cut in 3/4-inch slices
2 1/2 cups red wine
2 small bay leaves
4 anchovy fillets
1 1/4 cups veal or beef stock
1 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, strained and crushed
12 black peppercorns
Bean puree (see recipe)

Steps:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season shanks with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Put 3 shanks in the pan and brown well on all sides. Transfer shanks to a large roasting pan. Repeat with remaining shanks, adding oil if needed.
Put garlic, onion, celery and carrot in the pan. Cook 30 seconds. Add half the wine and deglaze the pan. Add the vegetable-wine mixture to the roasting pan. Add the remaining ingredients. Put the roasting pan on a burner and bring to a simmer. (Shanks should be almost covered with liquid; if necessary, add water.) Cover with aluminum foil. Put in oven and bake until meat is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
Remove shanks from liquid and keep warm. Strain liquid through a fine sieve into a large saucepan. Degrease. Simmer until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Put shanks over a mound of bean puree and top with sauce.