Braised Lamb Shanks

Serves 6

The keys to this luscious and intensely flavored dish are searing the shanks to a lovely mahogany color, caramelizing the vegetables, using a delicious red wine and cooking slowly. 6 lamb shanks, about 1 pound each

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

1 fennel bulb, chopped

8 garlic cloves, peeled

3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

3 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

6 ounces tomato paste

1 cup dry red wine

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour. In a large roasting pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sear the lamb shanks on all sides until a rich brown color. Remove the shanks and set aside.

2. Add the onion, celery, carrots, fennel and garlic to the pan and cook over medium heat until they caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme, parsley, rosemary and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes. Increase the heat to high and deglaze the pan with the red wine scraping up the caramelized bits. Add the chicken broth.

3. Return the shanks to the roasting pan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover with a lid. Braise in the oven for at least 2 hours or until the meat is tender and easily pulled from the bone, turning the shanks every 30 minutes. Remove the lid the last 30 minutes.

4. Remove the shanks and keep warm in the oven. Skim off the excess fat from the braising liquid and reheat. Serve on a large platter or portion on individual plates with creamy polenta or goat cheese mashed potatoes.

Enjoy with a bottle of Rezonja Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon!