Braised Veal Shanks With White Bean and Tomato Sauce

Based on a classic Italian dish with just a few slight tweaks this is a very flavoursome dish and is spot on for that exclusive dinner party.

1. 1

   In a pan heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and the butter over a moderately high heat until the foam subsides, in the fat brown the veal shanks, and transfer them to a plate.
   Pour off the fat from the pan, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, and in it cook the onion, the carrot, the celery, the garlic, the bay leaves, and salt and pepper to taste, over a moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened.
   Return the shanks to the pan, add the thyme, the 5 parsley sprigs, the strips of lemon zest, the beans, the tomatoes, the wine, and the stock, and bring the liquid to a boil.
   Braise covered, in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven, basting the shanks every 30 minutes, for 2 hours.
   Transfer the shanks with a slotted spoon to a plate, and keep them warm, covered.
   Discard the thyme sprigs and the bay leaves and in a blender or food processor puree the vegetable mixture in batches, (For a chunky sauce, purée half the vegetable mixture and stir the purée into the remaining vegetable mixture).
   Serve the veal shanks topped with the sauce and sprinkled with the gremolata, garnish each serving with an additional parsley sprig.