1 Sprig fresh Rosemary
1 sprig fresh Thyme
1 dry bay leaf
4 whole peppercorns
Cheesecloth
kitchen twine
2 Lamb Shanks
Salt & Pepper
All purpose flour- Season the flour with paprika, oregano, basil, hatch chili powder, adobo or anything you would like.
1/2 Cup Vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
2 small carrots, Cut into 1 inch slices
2 stalk celery- Cut into 2 inch pieces
1 Tablespoon Tomatoes paste
1 cup white wine
3 cups chicken stock
This is just my base recipe, I usually add different seasonings to the broth, maybe some hot sauce. Just depends on my mood.
Place the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and peppercorns into cheesecloth and secure with twine. This will be your bouquet garni.
For the lamb shanks, pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Lamb shanks will brown better when they are dry.. Season each shank with salt and freshly ground pepper. Dredge the shanks in seasoned flour, shaking off excess.
In a large Dutch oven pot, heat vegetable oil until smoking. Add Lamb shanks to the hot pan and brown all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove browned shanks and reserve.
In the same pot, add the onion, carrot and celery. Season with salt at this point to help draw out the moisture from the vegetables, add other seasonings if wanted. Saute until the onion is soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Add the white wine scraping the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, return the browned shanks to the pan and reduce liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Add the bouquet garni and 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Check every 15 minutes, turning shanks and adding more chicken stock as necessary. The level of cooking liquid should always be about 3/4 the way up the shank.
Remove and discard bouquet garni from the pot.
I usually serve this with pasta.