| Courtesy of Chef Mary Beth Johnson
Serves 8
8 lamb shanks about 1 ¼ lb each
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
6-8 tablespoons of olive oil
4 teaspoons of black peppercorns
4 bay leafs
16 cups of good-quality chicken stock
6 cups of a good quality dry red wine (about a bottle and a half)
4 heads of garlic, minced
8 ribs of celery cut into medium dice
8 carrots cut into medium dice
1 large sweet onion peeled and roughly chopped medium
10 sprigs of rosemary
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Season the shanks with salt and freshly ground pepper. In a large oven-proof pot heat the oil and sear the shanks on all sides until golden brown. Remove the shanks and add the garlic, celery, carrots, and onion to the pot and sweat the vegetables until tender. Add the chicken stock, wine, bay leaf, peppercorns, and rosemary to the pot with the sweated vegetables. Put the shanks back in the pot. Put in oven and cook for 2 hours to 2 ½ hours or until the shanks are tender but the meat is not falling off the bone.
Remove the shanks from the braising liquid and strain the liquid. De-grease the sauce carefully and reduce over medium heat by 1/3. Serve with the Lamb Shanks.
