Active Time

　　20 min

　　Total Time

　　1 hr

　　Far from being a culinary museum piece, the pressure cooker deserves a place in the 21st-century kitchen. One reason: You can make this hearty Italian meal of incredibly tender lamb with vegetables and saucy beans in about an hour.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

　　2 lamb shanks (2 pounds total)

　　2 tablespoons olive oil

　　1 large onion, chopped

　　2 medium carrots, chopped

　　2 celery ribs, chopped

　　3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

　　1 (14-ounces) can diced tomatoes in juice

　　2 rosemary sprigs

　　1 cup dried navy beans, picked over

　　3 1/2 cups water

　　Equipment: a 6-to 8-quart pressure cooker

　　Garnish: chopped flat-leaf parsley; extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

　　

Step 1

Pat lamb shanks dry and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in pressure cooker over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown shanks well, 1 at a time, transferring to a plate.

　　

Step 2

Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to pressure cooker and sauté until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice and rosemary and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in beans, water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

　　

Step 3

Return lamb shanks to pressure cooker and bring to a boil. Seal lid and cook at high pressure according to manufacturer's instructions, 30 minutes. Put pressure cooker in sink (do not remove lid) and run cold water over lid until pressure goes down completely. Remove lid and discard rosemary, then transfer shanks to a cutting board and coarsely shred meat.

　　

Step 4

Spoon bean and vegetable mixture into large shallow bowls, then top with lamb and sauce.