Recipes>Lamb Recipes
Braised Lamb Shanks with White Beans
by Simon Hopkinson from Simon Hopkinson Cooks
Serves 4
Wholesome braised lamb shanks served with white beans. The warming lamb recipe from Simon Hopkinson is flavoured with streaky bacon, bay leaves and cloves.
Discover more delicious Lamb recipes
From slow roasts to sizzling grills
From the book
Simon Hopkinson Cooks
Simon Hopkinson
Buy From
Tags
Ingredients
| 350g | dried white beans |
|---|---|
| 400g | cherry tomatoes |
| 8 cloves | of garlic |
| Several sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped off by hand | |
| 200ml | sweet vermouth |
| 2 tbsp | olive oil |
| 250g | fatty, unsmoked streaky bacon, in a piece, rind removed and cut into 2cm chunks |
| 4 | lamb shanks, approx. 1.7kg total weight |
| 300g | onions, chopped |
| 300g | carrots, peeled and chopped into small chunks |
| 2 | bay leaves |
| 5 | cloves |
| 350ml | tasty stock (beef, chicken, vegetable or, best of all, lamb!) |
| 3 tbsp | finely chopped parsley |
| Salt and pepper |
Essential kit
You will need a liquidiser and a large casserole pot (preferably cast-iron).
Method
Put the beans in a roomy pan and cover with water (no salt) to at least 4cm above the beans. Bring up to a boil, switch off the heat and leave in the water for 1 hour – or longer, if desired, as they won’t spoil.
Put the tomatoes in a liquidiser together with the garlic (unpeeled), thyme leaves and vermouth and process until smooth. Suspend a fine sieve over a deep pan or bowl and tip the mixture into it. Press well down into the sieve with a small ladle until a ‘raw tomato soup’ has been passed through from the messy mulch (skins, seeds, etc.), which should then be discarded. Now put this mixture to one side.
Using a large, preferably cast-iron pot (a Le Creuset would be ideal) heat the olive oil over a moderate flame. Tip in the bacon and allow to fry quietly for about 5 minutes, or until lightly gilded and its fat has run. Lift out the bacon and reserve on a large plate. Season the shanks and slowly fry in the bacon fat until all surfaces are nicely browned. Lift out and place alongside the bacon. Now introduce the onions and carrots to the pot and allow them to sweat for about 10 minutes, or until lightly coloured. Add the tomato mixture, bring up to a bubble and allow to cook for a further 10 minutes. Stir in the bay leaves, cloves and stock. Now, reintroduce the bacon and lamb shanks and push under the liquid to cover them. Bring up to a simmer, partially cover the pot and cook very slowly, for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2. By this time the beans should have had their hour’s soak. Drain them, rinse well and return them to the pot in which they soaked. Cover with fresh water and bring them up to a simmer (again, no salt). Allow to cook quietly for about 20 minutes, switch off the heat, cover and put to one side.
Once the lamb has had its hour’s simmering, drain the beans once more and stir into the partly stewed lamb and vegetables. Stir together well, thoroughly distributing the beans among the meat. Bring up to a quiet but significant simmer before sliding into the oven. Cook for a further 1½ hours, uncovered, until both beans and lamb are meltingly tender and the liquid surrounding them has somewhat reduced, having by now formed a nice and gooey burnished look to the surface of the stew. Remove from the oven, add the parsley and carefully stir it in. Serve just as it is, directly from the pot, into heated plates, at table.
Reviews
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below.
Cancel reply
Your review
Name *
Our team will respond to any queries as soon as we can - this may take longer over weekends. You do not need to resubmit your comment.
Please note: Moderation is enabled and may delay your comment being posted. There is no need to resubmit your comment. By posting a comment you are agreeing to the website Terms of Use .
Be the first to leave a review
Ingredients
Method
More Lamb Recipes
View all
Julius Roberts’ Lamb Stew with Pearl Barley and Wild Garlic
by Julius Roberts from The Farm Table
Baked Lamb Koftas with Peppers, Feta and Oregano
by Noor Murad from Lugma
More One Pot Recipes
View all
James Martin’s Coq au Vin
by James Martin from James Martin’s Saturday Morning Cookbook
James Martin’s Poulet Sauté au Vinaigre
by James Martin from James Martin’s Saturday Morning Cookbook
More Simon Hopkinson recipes
View all
Simon Hopkinson’s Roast Chicken
by Simon Hopkinson , Lindsey Bareham from Roast Chicken and Other Stories
Simon Hopkinson’s Chicken Pie
by Simon Hopkinson from Simon Hopkinson Cooks
Get our latest recipes, features, book news and ebook deals straight to your inbox every week
