Lamb shanks with rosemary and red wine

Serves 4

You will need:

2 tablespoons olive oil 4 lamb shanks Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 medium onions, finely chopped 2 carrots, finely diced 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped 4 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely grated 300ml red wine 1 x 400g tin of tomatoes, chopped 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon tomato paste 150ml chicken stock 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 Put the olive oil in a casserole pot or saucepan over a high heat. Put the lamb shanks in the pot and brown them well on all sides, turning the heat down slightly once the pot gets hot. Season the lamb as it cooks with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then transfer the shanks to a plate, leaving any oil behind in the pot.

2 Add the finely chopped onions, the finely diced carrots, the finely chopped celery, and the crushed or finely grated garlic, whichever you’re using, to the remaining oil in the pot, adding another drizzle of oil if necessary. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cook the vegetables in the covered pot over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until they start to soften. Add in the red wine, the tinned chopped tomatoes, the sugar, the tomato paste, the chicken stock and half the finely chopped fresh rosemary.

3 Add the shanks back to the pot, pressing them down to almost submerge them. Bring the pot up to a simmer, seasoning with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover the pot with a lid and cook very slowly, either on the hob or in an oven preheated to 150°C, 300°F, Gas 2, for about 2-and-a-half to 3 hours, until the lamb is practically falling off the bone. See my Top Tip, above left.

4 If the juices are a bit thin once the lamb is cooked, take the shanks out and keep them warm while you reduce the sauce, uncovered, over a medium-to-high heat for a few minutes. Add in the remaining finely chopped rosemary, and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve.