Glyphs & Graphs

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 lamb shanks
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 250ml white wine (or replace with additional stock)
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 garlic gloves, crushed
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• few sprigs thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 celeriac, peeled and chopped into bitesized pieces
• 1 cooking apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 200g soft prunes, stoned
• 175ml orange juice
• 900ml hot vegetable stock

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150°C. Heat half the oil in a large flameproof casserole over a medium-high heat, and toss the lamb in the flour.
2. Add the shanks to the casserole, one or two at a time, and cook for about 10 minutes until golden on all sides. Remove and set aside in a bowl.
3. Pour the wine into the casserole, increase the heat and let it simmer while stirring to deglaze the surface. Pour this over the lamb.
4. Heat a little more oil over a medium heat, add the onion, and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Season with salt and pepper, then stir through the garlic, fennel seeds, thyme, bay leaves, and celeriac, and cook for about 5 minutes, adding more oil if necessary, until just beginning to turn golden.
5. Add the apple and prunes, season, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Return the lamb and sauce to the casserole, add the orange juice and stock, and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover with the lid, and put in the oven for 3-3.5 hours until the lamb is falling off the bone. Check occassionally that it’s not drying out, topping up with a little hot water if needed.

Best served with creamy mashed potatoes.