Slow-cooked Italian lamb shanks

SERVES 4 PREP TIME 25 MINUTES COOK TIME 4½ HOURS

4 lamb shanks (approximately 1kg in total) 2 tablespoons plain flour

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 leek, white part only, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, finely diced

4 celery stalks, finely diced

2 carrots, finely diced

1 large zucchini, sliced into thick half moons

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs

400g can chopped tomatoes

500ml (2 cups) chicken stock

250ml (1 cup) dry white wine 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves mashed potatoes or creamy polenta, to serve

1 First things first. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced).

2 Pat the lamb shanks dry with paper towel. Place them on a plate and season well with 1 teaspoon salt and 1-2 teaspoons pepper. Dust with flour, use your hands to rub it all over the shanks.

3 Let’s get cooking. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large, flameproof casserole dish over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the lamb shanks and fry on each side for 3 minutes until browned. You may need to do this in batches. Remove to a plate and set aside.

4 Next, the veggies. Turn the heat down to medium. In the same dish, heat the remaining olive oil for 1 minute. Add the leek and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the celery, carrot and zucchini and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened.

5 Bring it all together. Add the tomato paste, dried herbs, tomatoes, chicken stock and white wine, stir very well and bring to the boil. Return the lamb shanks to the dish, making sure they are fully submerged in the liquid, cover with the lid and cook in the oven for 3 hours.

6 Remove the dish from the oven and take off the lid. The lamb meat should be pulling away from the bone. If there is still a lot of liquid, continue cooking for 30 minutes with the lid off. When the shanks are ready, scatter on the parsley and serve with mashed potatoes or creamy polenta.