Tom Valenti's Lamb Shanks

Ingredients

• 3 fillet anchovy 
• 1  bay leaf 
• 2 cups beef broth and chicken broth 
• 8  peppercorns whole black
• 1  carrots roughly chopped
• 2 ribs celery roughly chopped
• 6 servings coarse salt and pepper to taste
• 5 sprigs thyme leaves fresh
• 6  lamb foreshanks 
• 6 servings bean puree white for serving
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1  onion roughly chopped
• 2 cups red wine 
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• 0.3 cup tomato paste 
• 1 cup white wine 
• 0.3 cup white-wine vinegar 
• 1 head garlic whole cut in half crosswise

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• pot
• roasting pan
• aluminum foil
• tongs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Season the lamb with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pot over medium-high heat.
3. Add the celery, carrot, and onion; cook until very soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add the tomato paste and cook 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Add the thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, anchovies, and garlic; cook 3 minutes.
6. Add the wines, vinegar, and sugar; raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and add the broths. Leave over medium heat while you brown the lamb shanks.
7. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil into a sauté pan. Over medium-high heat, brown the lamb shanks well on all sides, using tongs to flip them over.
8. Transfer lamb shanks to a roasting pan and pour the braising liquid on top. Cover with aluminum foil and cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
9. Remove the foil and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours more, turning the shanks over every half hour until the meat is very soft.
10. Remove the shanks from the braising liquid and strain the liquid. Skim any fat that rises to the surface, then use the liquid as a sauce.
11. Serve in shallow bowls atop White Bean Puree.
12. Per serving: 400 calories, 12g carbohydrates, 38g protein, 19g fat, 120mg cholesterol
13. Nutritional Breakdown: New Wellness, Richmond, Va.
14. New Wellness, Richmond, Va.