Slow-Cooked Lamb Chops with White Beans

This past Sunday we hosted a dinner to celebrate my mom and brother's birthdays.  I have a favourite lamb shank recipe that I've made several times in the past.  This time I wanted to try a new one and followed (more or less) the "Braised Lamb Shanks with White Bean Puree" recipe from More Heart Smart Cooking with Bonnie Stern.  I borrowed the book from my mother-in-law last week since she's made this one before and it was a winner.

I didn't follow the recipe exactly (I seldom do) but the meal was delicious all the same.  Since my mother insisted on bringing an appetizer and side dish (...to her own birthday dinner! Ah Chinese mothers...) I thought individual lamb shanks would be too much for everyone.  Instead I used lamb loin chops and that way people could take more or less as they wished.

The lamb had been marinated overnight in a bowl of chopped onions, minced garlic, red wine, pepper, and rosemary.  The next day I browned the lamb chops in a big pan and set them aside.  Then I sauteed some sliced onions and garlic in the pan and added plum tomatoes and the marinade juices from the night before.

Once everything was heated I transferred the lamb and sauce to a slow cooker to cook for 4 hours.  The house smelled fantastic all day :)

Finally I made a side of cooked white beans, carrots, zucchini, celery, and onions.  The actual recipe calls for a white bean puree to act as a bed for the lamb shanks.  It was quite delicious when my mother-in-law made it previously so I'm not quite sure why I didn't just follow the recipe...I probably would have if I was completely in charge of the meal but I suppose I didn't think the puree would go with the food my mom was bringing.  Anyway it was yummy!  Here's a shot of the meal below.  We also served some olive bread from the local bakery which was good for soaking up the sauce.

I regret not taking a photo of the lovely strawberry mousse birthday cake that my sister-in-law brought over. It had taken her 2 hours to make and was delicious.  I've never been big on baking but I think that will start to change.  Earlier this year I decided that every week I should attempt something new in the kitchen, and perhaps some weeks it might be baked goods rather than dinner entrees.   The new recipe could be a simple one, like lemon poppy-seed muffins (next on the list...we usually make banana-walnut ones), as long as it was something new. It hasn't always worked out that I've found the time each week but so far I've tried the following new dishes:

Braised lamb chops

Pork roast with apple stuffing

Moroccan beef stew

Chili (my cousin's recipe)

Asian style chicken wings

Breaded shrimp on a bed of lentils

I've enjoyed the new cooking challenge and am excited to get through my post-it notes where I've jotted down interesting recipes I've come across so far.  Wish me luck!