I’ve never cooked lamb shanks before but we had one for the Seder and I wasn’t about to throw a piece of perfectly good shank away even if I had no idea what to do with it. It was mostly 2 big bones and when I see bone, I think stew and when I think stew, I think beans. Granted, it’s not exactly stew weather, now that we’re getting 80 degrees in the afternoons but what else was I going to do with the bones eh? I started this stew on Friday. Dried beans require a day in advance to cook thoroughly, and I don’t think you can overcook beans. They just get good and tender. This time, I used a mix of red beans, black beans, and garbanzos. Black and red beans always make my stews brown and dark. Next time, I might use garbanzos and navy beans (which are white, I don’t know where they got the name navy). Can you tell I stockpile beans in the pantry? I love beans because they don’t go bad, they’re versatile, and they are good for you. And it helps with the eating less meat thing. So I did one of those deals where I went hunting on the Internet for a recipe based on items I have on hand and found something close to what was a shank slow cooker recipe and modified it to fit my ingredients.

• 2 Cups of dried beans cooked a day in advance
• 2 Bay leaves
• Rosemary, thyme, oregano (about a teaspoon or so of each)
• Garlic powder
• 1 Cup of wine
• 1 Cup of orange juice
• Salt/pepper
• Parsley (1 bunch chopped)
• Carrots (get the baby ones and you don’t have to chop them)
• 1 Yellow onion diced coarsely
• 3 Stalks of celery chopped
• Lamb shanks

Start by washing the dried beans and cooking them for a day in the slow cooker in plain water.  The next day, put in the lamb shanks with the dried herbs.  Add some water so it mostly covers the meat.  Let it stew for another day so the meat falls off the bone.  Take it off the slow-cooker and let it cool a bit before putting it in the fridge.  After it’s chilled in the fridge for a few hours, you can easily scoop out the fat on the top.  Put it back on the slow cooker and add all the chopped vegetables and parsley along with the salt, pepper, orange juice, and wine.   Don’t add any water until your vegetables have cooked down because they’ll release a lot of water as they cook.  You might want to add more wine or salt/pepper or water or juice depending on the consistency and flavor you prefer.  I added a little more than a cup of wine and OJ each.  It’s a very hearty soup.  And delicious, even for this weather!

I got this recipe from the Internet. I can’t remember the URL, but the original recipe came from a guy named Arthur Schwartz.  Again, I only followed the ingredients and didn’t use the same quantities as the recipe called.  It came out delicious.  The slow-cooker really breaks down the meat so it’s fork tender.

• 4 lb brisket (second cut).
• 1 carrot
• 2 stalks of celery
• 4 cloves of finely grated garlic
• 3 sage leaves
• 2 tablespoons of kosher salt
• pepper
• 1 yellow onion, chopped.

Rub both sides of the brisket with salt, pepper and garlic. Throw everything into the slow cooker.  Juices will come out of the meat and vegetables and create its own sauce.  I made it one night before the meal.  Refrigerated it until the fat hardened.  Then I scooped out the fat.  Before serving, cut the meat perpendicular to the grain and put it in a dish.  Pour some of the liquids over it and put it in the oven at 350 F for about 15-20 minutes or until its hot.  Like anything else you can make in the slow cooker, it was easy.