Lemony Beef Shanks (Recipe)

Beef shanks cook to toothsome tenderness in the slow cooker.  Serve with a fresh fruit salad and dark bread to soak up all the flavorful sauce.

Ingredients

1 (12 ounce) can beer

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1/4 cup quick-mixing flour, such as Wondra

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1/2 pound fresh white mushrooms, sliced

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 1/4 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 1/2 to 2 3/4 pounds beef shanks (use boneless, if desired), trimmed of fat

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Steps

1.  In a 3 1/2 quart electric slow cooker, mix together the beer and tomato paste.  Whisk in the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic until well blended.  Stir in the onion, mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes.  Add the beef shanks and push down into the vegetable mixture.

2.  Cover and cook on the low heat setting 8 1/2 to 9 hours, or until the beef and potatoes are tender. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice just before serving.