Braised American Lamb Shank with Three Bean Ragout and Fresh Ricotta - Cascade Creek
Braised Lamb Shank with 3-Bean Ragout
Braised Lamb Shank with 3-Bean Ragout

Braised American Lamb Shank with Three Bean Ragout and Fresh Ricotta

    

December 14, 2015

Chef Tim Love of Lonesome Dove Bistro in Fort Worth, Texas, created this tempting recipe that adds a hearty bean side dish and light, fresh ricotta to the rich taste of braised lamb shanks.

  • Prep: 1 hr
  • Cook: 3 hrs
  • Yields: 6 Servings

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ cup guajillo chile powder

1 ½ tbsp kosher salt

½ tbsp freshly cracked pepper

6 American Lamb shanks

6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ cup chopped onions

1 ½ cup chopped carrots

1 ½ cup chopped celery

7 garlic cloves, peeled

1 ½ cups dry white wine

1 ½ quarts veal or chicken stock

3 sprigs fresh thyme

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

3 bay leaves

3 tbsp unsalted butter

Three Bean Ragout (recipe follows)

Ricotta Cheese (recipe follows)

THREE BEAN RAGOUT (yield: 6 cups)

¾ cup uncooked (dried) white beans

¾ cup uncooked (dried) black beans

¾ cup uncooked (dried) Cannelinni beans

½ lb bacon, chopped

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped

1 ½ cups chicken stock

9 cloves garlic, sliced

3 jalapeños, seeded and chopped

dash Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly cracked pepper, to taste

RICOTTA CHEESE (yield: ¾ cup)

2 cups buttermilk

2 cups whole milk

½ tsp ancho chile powder

½ tsp fresh oregano, chopped

Directions

LAMB SHANKS

1Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Mix the flour, chile powder, salt, and pepper together in a shallow bowl. Roll the shanks in the flour mixture.

2In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. In batches, sear the shanks on all sides; remove from the pan. Repeat with remaining shanks, adding more oil as needed.

3Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and sauté until brown. Add the wine, stock, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves and bring to a boil.

4Arrange the shanks in two 13x9x2-inch baking pans, placing 3 shanks in each pan. Divide the vegetable mixture between the 2 baking pans, pouring it over the shanks. Cover the pans with foil and braise in the oven for 2 1/2 hours, turning the shanks over halfway through. (The meat should be very tender but still on the bone.) Remove the shanks and keep warm.

5Remove the pans from the oven and strain the sauce. Pour the sauce into a large saucepan and reduce it by half on high heat. Add the butter and stir until melted.

6Serve the shanks with the Three-Bean Ragout, Fresh Ricotta, and a little pan sauce.

THREE BEAN RAGOUT

1Put all beans in a large pot and cover with cold water. Put a lid on and let the beans soak for 6 hours or overnight.

2Drain the beans and return them to the pot, adding the bacon, thyme, oregano, stock, garlic, and jalapeños. Cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to low. Cook for 2 hours until tender, adding water as necessary.

3Drain well. Season with salt and pepper.

RICOTTA CHEESE

1In a 2-quart saucepan, combine buttermilk, milk, chile powder, oregano, and salt. Cook over low heat. Do not stir.

2After 15 minutes, check the temperature with a candy thermometer. Continue to check the temperature every 2 minutes until it reaches 180ºF. When the temperature is achieved, strain the mixture through a fine strainer and place it in the refrigerator to cool.

3Use the ricotta as needed. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Recipe provided by the American Lamb Board

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