Lamb Shanks

Ingredients.

2 Lamb shanks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups chopped vegetables including carrots, celery, potatoes
1 cup stock or boiling water with a bullion cube
Seasoning - salt and pepper, thyme, oregano, rosemary, one bay leaf

Optional, and highly recommended:
3/4 cup raisins, soaked in sherry for a couple hours
1/2 cup of fresh mint leaves

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper. Heat an oven-proof dutch oven or casserole pan with a tight fitting cover on medium high heat on the stove top. Sear the lamb shanks in the casserole pan on both sides until golden brown. Remove shanks to a dish.

3 Heat oil in casserole pan until hot; add onions, garlic, and vegetables and saute for 5 minutes. Add shanks, boiling stock, seasoning, and raisins. Bring to a boil.

4 Cover the casserole pan and bake in the oven for 1 1/2 or 2 hours or until shanks are tender. Remove shanks, strip meat from bones and return meat to the pan.