Lamb Shanks with Lemon and White Beans

This is an excellent example of the way braising benefits tough cuts—lamb shanks are slowly simmered in a flavorful liquid until the meat starts to fall off the bones. Mashed beans thicken the sauce, while lemon juice brightens it.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 shank and about 1 1/2 cups vegetable mixture)

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 4  (12-ounce) lamb shanks, trimmed
• 2  cups  chopped yellow onion
• 2  cups  (1-inch) cubed carrot
• 1  cup  dry white wine
• 1  tablespoon  grated lemon rind
• 1  teaspoon  dried sage
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  celery seeds
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1  (16-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preparation

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add half of lamb to pan, and cook 9 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove lamb from pan. Repeat procedure with cooking spray and remaining lamb.

Add onion and carrot to pan; cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add rind and next 4 ingredients (through pepper); cook 5 minutes. Add lamb and broth; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 1/2 hours or until lamb is very tender.

Remove lamb and vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Place a large zip-top plastic bag inside an 8-cup glass measure or bowl. Pour broth mixture into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag, and carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into pan, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat.

Combine juice and 1 cup beans in a small bowl; mash with a fork until pastelike. Add juice mixture and remaining beans to pan; stir well to combine. Add lamb mixture; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with parsley, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

399 (35% from fat)

Fat:

15.6g (sat 6.4g,mono 6.5g,poly 1.4g)

Protein:

37g

Carbohydrate:

25.7g

Fiber:

6g

Cholesterol:

119mg

Iron:

4.1mg

Sodium:

757mg

Calcium:

95mg