Heavenly Lamb Shanks

Prep-20   Cook-3 hours

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 (1lb) lamb shanks
• 1 leek, halved and cut in 1/2 in pieces
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 onions, cut into chunks
• 12 cloves, garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 pinch sea salt

Things we leave out due to the American economy:

bay leaf

sea salt

1 onion

peppercorns

1 celery stalk

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C)
2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy, metal roasting pan pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Toss shanks with flour to coat well; then shake off excess. Sear the shanks in hot oil until well browned on all sides, then remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add the leek,  celery, carrot, onion, and garlic to the roasting pan. Cook until softened and lightly browned, stirring constantly; about 5 minutes. Season with the bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme and rosemary. Pour in the red wine and chicken stock, increase heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with sea salt, and place the lamb shanks on top of the vegetables.
4. Cover the roasting pan tightly with heavy aluminum foil, and place into the preheated oven. Bake gently until the meat is tender and falls off of the bone, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove the bay leaf and herb stems before serving shanks with vegetables and sauce.

looks totally gross, but tastes good with bread