Gail's Lamb Shanks

Ingredients
4 lamb shanks
60ml olive/canola oil
2 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 small leeks sliced thinly
6 garlic cloves, crushed
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
30ml tomato paste
1½ cups dry red wine (Merlot)
2 cups chicken stock
400g tinned diced tomatoes
Black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Method:
In a large skillet, brown and seal shanks in oil for 4 minutes, remove from skillet.
Add onions, leeks to skillet and saute to soften.
Add celery, carrots and saute until veg starts to soften then add garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and cinnamon sticks.
Add tomato paste and chopped tomatoes let simmer for 4 mins. Season black pepper.
Transfer shanks and vegetable mixture to a slow cooker to continue cooking.
Add wine and chicken stock, taste for salt.
Cook on High for 4 hours.
Remove shanks, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks from cooker and using a stick blender puree your liquid, if you need to thicken for gravy use a little cornflour and water to make a slurry.
Cook for 10 mins further.
Recipe adapted from Mela
Prepared, tried and tested by:  Gail Haselsteiner‎