Braised Lamb Shanks

Ingredients

4 lbs. bone-in lamb shanks
¼ lb salt pork
½ lb onion, roughly chopped
¼ lb carrot, roughly chopped
¼ lb celery, roughly chopped
½ cup whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 ripe tomatoes
1 gal beef broth
1 bottle red wine
1 Tbsp olive oil
Bouquet Garni (thyme,bay leaves,parsley)
2 tbsp French black olives, minced
zest of ½ an orange
¼ tsp ground fennel seeds

Method

Place a heavy bottomed pot on high heat. Add olive oil. Brown Lamb on all sides and remove, drain fat. Add salt pork to pot and brown. add onion,celery, garlic and brown.

Add tomatoes, Bouquet Garni, wine and reduce by ½. Add beef stock and lamb bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 2 to 2½ hours until lamb is tender.

Remove lamb and set aside. strain broth and reduce by ½ until thick. Remove from heat, add olives, orange zest and fennel to sauce. Place lamb back in sauce to reheat for 5 minutes.

Serve over flageolet beans and farm fresh vegetables.