It’s cold. It’s dark. I need something warm and filling. I am planning something that can cook by itself while I am out the following dayand be ready when we return.
When I look in the freezer I spot two lovely looking lamb shanks that I bought when I was last in the North and I know I have a packet of very beautiful looking beans…
I’d never seen them before but they looked so pretty that I had to buy them. Well then. I can imagine them going so well with some slow cooked shanks…..perhaps a sort of Italian feel to the meal?
First step has to be get the beans ready. They had to be soaked overnight first and then they need to be boiled for 10 minutes or so. That would fit in with my timings for tomorrow…
So they were left overnight to soak and then the following morning put on to boil
And the froth scooped off
Make sure that there’s no more froth and then rinse them clean.
While all that has been happening, you can get cracking on the vegetables
As lamb is a lovely, sweet meat I thought that sweet potato in with the shanks would be a nice mix, alongside the usual suspects…. I think I may have been influenced by the pretty pink beans because I realise now that the sweet potato is pink as are the little shallots that are going to sit alongside the lamb.
I browned the shanks to make sure there was a decent colour and good depth of flavour – if you don’t, the shanks will still cook perfectly but will look pale and uninteresting.
And really that’s it…. all you do now is put it into your slow cooker or casserole
Put some vegetables in first, lie the shanks on top, then add more vegetables, a clove or so of chopped garlic….
Put those boiled and rinsed beans on top
And I topped the lot with a tin of chopped plum tomatoes. Well, beans and tomatoes go so well together. I really was thinking pink, wasn’t I?
Some salt and pepper…. lid on and into the oven it went.
That was it maybe four or so hours later….
And once spooned out…. oh the delicious smell…. it went perfectly with a glass of red wine and some freshly baked focaccia
