If I want to put a smile on hubs face, all I have to do is cook up this dish, or any variation of it! Several variations of this dish can be found all over the Mediterranean. Add sausage and duck for the traditional cassoulet found in the south of France. Add sage for the hearty dish served up throughout Tuscany. Change the beans to red kidney beans to create a dish more acquainted with the northwest parts of Portugal.
I like all takes on this recipe. But for this post, I've kept it basic. One note worth mentioning: pork shanks can be difficult to find; I have to special order them from my butcher. So if you're like me and want to cook this dish on a whim, you can substitute country-style pork ribs for the shanks like I did in the photo above. They are found at most grocers and taste just as good!
Ingredients:
4 pork foreshanks
Salt and pepper
flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tbs chopped thyme
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups cooked cannellini beans
Preheat oven to 375. Season shanks with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour. Warm oil in a large Dutch oven; brown shanks on all sides. Transfer to a plate.
Add onions, celery and carrots to pan; cook until tender. Add garlic, tomato paste, parsley and thyme; cook for 1 minute. Add broth and wine; bring to a boil. Add shanks, cover and bake for 2 1/2-3 hours (1 1/2-2 hours is sufficient if using country-style ribs). Transfer shanks to platter and cover with foil.
Skim fat off braising liquid. Simmer liquid over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Add beans, mashing some into the sauce. Serve the shanks with beans.
Serves 4.
