3rd Lamb Supper Club: Braised Lamb Shanks with White Beans and Tomatoes

For almost a year now, I've been the DC

Lambassador and Supper Club host for the

Tri-Lamb

Group supper club series. The Tri-Lamb

Group is a collaborative initiative

of lamb producer organizations from the U.S., New Zealand and Australia which

focuses on educating Americans about lamb.

For the third supper club, I made Braised Lamb Shanks with White Beans and

Tomatoes paired with some amazing wines that were

recommended by Andrew Stover.

The Dish: Braised Lamb Shanks with White Beans and

Tomatoes

The Pairings:

Campo Viejo Wines

DETOUR ORGANIC PINOT GRIS 2010,

WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OREGON

DETOUR

is the Oregon wine product from Sommelier Andrew Stover and winemaker Darcy

Pendergrass of Amity Vineyards. The goal of the project is to produce quality

Oregon wines under$20 retail. The grapes for Detour come from the Croft

Vineyard, a certified organic vineyard near Salem, Oregon. Detour Pinot Gris is

bright and fresh with notes of Asian pear, grapefruit, lemongrass and apricot,

wet stone on the long finish.

SHINDIG

RED BLEND 2009, MICHIGAN

SHINDIG

Wines are the brainchild of Sommelier Andrew Stover of Washington, DC's OYA, SEI and SAX Restaurants. Stover works with wineries across the country to produce

fun and approachable wines for under $20 retail. SHINDIG Red is fresh and lively

with red berry flavor nuances. Perfect with a slight chill. Blend of Pinot Noir,

Marechal Foch, Leon Millot, De Chaunac, Merlot and Syrah.

ARIZONA

STRONGHOLD NACHISE RED BLEND 2010, SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA

Arizona

Stronghold Vineyards was formed by Eric Glomski (Owner/Director

of Winemaking

at Page Springs Cellars and previously Winemaker at David Bruce

Winery) and

Maynard Keenan (Owner of Caduceus Cellars and singer for some po-dunk

band called

Tool), to put Arizona on the fine wine map. Nachise

is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre with bright plum and cherry notes

plus dried herbs and slight earthy flavors, very silky finish.

SAWTOOTH

SYRAH 2007, SNAKE RIVER VALLEY, IDAHO

Idaho

is a state known for spectacular mountains, rivers and lakes. However, many

are unaware

that this beautiful area is also a burgeoning wine growing region. The

unique combination

high elevation, climate and soils found in Idaho's vineyards can

produce grapes

with outstanding varietal character. Sawtooth Syrah is a dark and brooding red

with aromas of plum, cigar box, leather and earth; velvety texture; medium/full

bodied.

The

Recipe:

Serving Size: Makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 - 2 1/2 hours

minutes. Add wine, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add broth, tomatoes and beans; bring mixture to a simmer. Nestle

browned lamb shanks into broth mixture; cover and cook until meat is

tender and easily falls off the bone, about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours

depending on size of shanks. Place shanks in individual shallow bowls or

plates. Divide vegetables and sauce among bowls.

We served the lamb with my signature cocktails: Apple Orchard, New York Apple Cocktail, and Blood and Sand. I made these cocktails with Hudson and Copper Fox whiskey. Recipes coming soon.

The guests enjoyed a full whiskey tasting. A full review of the whiskey will be featured in Thinking of Drinking soon.

All of the designer glassware and dishes was provided by Sagaform.

Brittany's Gratin,

Sarah's Pumpkin Soup, and Vanessa's Tomato and Squash

Salad.

Apollina's Mint Chocolate Ganache Cake was beautiful! (Recipe

will be coming soon.) We paired the cake with my Secret Lovers cocktail featuring Partida tequila and the Sandeman Founders Reserve Porto.

The 3rd Lamb Dinner and Tasting Party was a huge success and we'll be attempting a rack of lamb at the next one. Stay tuned!

Lamb Nutrition Facts

Calories

560

Fat

25g

Cholesterol

160mg

Sodium

490mg

Total Carbohydrate

30g

Dietary Fiber

7g

Protein

52g