Our First Recipe - chosen by Liz for Sunday July 3rd

From "Cooks Illustrated"

Braised Lamb Shanks

INGREDIENTS

• 6lamb shanks , 3/4 to 1 pound each, trimmed of excess fat and fell (thin, white papery covering), see illustration
• Table salt
• 1tablespoon canola oil
• 2medium onions , sliced thick
• 3medium carrots , peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
• 2medium ribs celery , cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
• 4medium cloves garlic , minced
• 2tablespoons tomato paste
• 1tablespoon herbes de Provence
• 2cups dry red wine
• 3cups low-sodium chicken broth
• Ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle shanks with salt. Heat oil in a large, nonreactive sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add shanks to pan in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding. Sauté until browned on all sides, 5-7 minutes. Using tongs, transfer shanks to a plate as they brown.
2. 2. Drain all but 2 tablespoons fat from the sauté pan; add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, tomato paste, a light sprinkling of salt and 1 teaspoon of the herbes de Provence; sauté to soften vegetables slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Add red wine, then chicken stock to the skillet, stirring with a wooden spoons to loosen browned bits from skillet bottom. Bring liquid to simmer; transfer vegetables and liquid into a deep braising pan, large enough to hold the shanks in a single layer. Add shanks, season with salt, pepper, and remaining herbes de Provence.
3. 3. Cover pan (with foil if pan has no lid) and transfer it to the oven; braise shanks for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover and continue braising until shank tops are browned, about 30 minutes. Turn shanks and continue braising until remaining side has browned and shanks are fall-off-the-bone tender.
4. 4. Remove pan from oven; let shanks rest for at least 15 minutes. Carefully transfer shanks with tongs to each of 6 plates. Arrange a portion of vegetables around each shank. Skim excess fat from braising liquid and adjust seasoning. Spoon a portion of braising liquid over each shank and serve.