Braised Lamb Shanks with Four Bean and Chorizo Stew

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat a Dutch oven over high heat. Add olive oil and sear the lamb shanks until they turn a golden colour on all sides, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer shanks to a plate.

In the same pot that the lamb shanks were seared in, sauté the carrots, shallots and celery over medium heat. Cook until golden brown and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cooked until softens, about 1 minutes. Add the tomato paste. Stirring constantly, cook until tomato paste turns a rust colour, about 5 minutes. Add bay leaves, white peppercorns and juniper berries and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Deglaze the pot with the Cabernet Franc and reduce it by half. Add back the lamb shanks. Add the beef stock, parsley and thyme. Add enough water, so that the liquid only comes half way up the shanks. Cover with lid. Braise in the oven, until meat is fork tender and almost falling off the bone, about 2 ½ hours. Serve the lamb shanks with the Four Bean, Chorizo and Baby Fennel Stew.

Melt ¼ cup of butter in a large pan over medium to high heat. Add chorizo sausage and sauté until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add the shallots and garlic and cook to release the flavours, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the lentils, black beans, navy beans and fava beans, oven-dried tomatoes, fennel and lamb braising liquor. Bring to a simmer to re-heat beans, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, slowly add the butter in stages. Keep watching the butter to ensure that it is blending in with sauce but not melting; if it is melting too quickly, remove saucepan from heat and whisk off heat for a minute or so. Finish with the herbs and season with salt and pepper. Serve the stew with Braised Lamb Shanks.