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1
Rinse the beans. Put in a large saucepan, add the water and the salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer until beans are tender, about 3 hours. If needed, add up to 6 more cups of water as the beans cook. Depending upon the age of the beans, they will absorb more or less water; cooking time may vary as much as an hour. When the beans are done, you should have at least 4 cups of bean broth.
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2
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed oven-proof casserole over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until onion is translucent. Add the lamb shanks and brown, turning often. When shanks are nicely browned, remove and set aside.
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3
Sprinkle the flour, salt, pepper and half the rosemary into the casserole. Stir the flour as it begins to brown, then add the vinegar, scraping any stuck bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the broth and bring to a boil.
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4
Remove the casserole from heat and return shanks to pan. Put in the preheated oven and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour and 15 minutes, adding the optional water if necessary to keep liquid in the dish.
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5
Add the cooked beans and 4 cups of bean broth and continue cooking another 30 minutes. When lamb is done, the meat will fall away easily from the bone. At this stage, keep a serious eye on it, because the liquid evaporates quickly, putting the beans at risk of burning.
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6
To prepare the rice: Bring the water to a boil and add the salt. Add the rice, cover and reduce the heat to very low. Cook 20 minutes.
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7
To serve, sprinkle the lamb shanks and beans with remaining rosemary. Spoon a serving of rice onto each plate, top it with a piece of lamb, a ladle or 2 of beans, and some broth.
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8
PER SERVING: 788 calories, 78 g protein, 76 g carbohydrate, 15 g fat (5 g saturated), 203 mg cholesterol, 1,579 mg sodium, 15 g fiber.
