Lamb Osso Buco

Instructions

1. Wrap the spices in a cheesecloth and secure with twine.
2. Pat the shanks dry with paper towels (they'll brown better if dry). Wrap the kitchen twine around the shanks to secure the meat to the bone. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge each shank in flour, and shake to remove the excess.
3. In a large Dutch oven pot, heat the vegetable oil until smoking. Add the tied veal shanks to the hot pan and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the browned shanks and set aside.
4. Turning the heat to medium, in the same pot, add the veggies and garlic. Season with salt to help draw moisture from the vegetables. Sauté until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well.
5. Return the browned shanks to the pan, add the wine, and reduce the liquid by half (about 5 minutes), adjusting the heat as needed. Add the tied cheesecloth spice bag and 2 cups of chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for about 1½ hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Check every 15 minutes, turning the shanks and adding more chicken stock as necessary. The level of cooking liquid should be about ¾ way up the shanks.
6. Carefully remove the cooked shanks from the pot. and place on a deep platter. Cut off the kitchen twine and toss. Remove the cheesecloth bag from the pot and toss that, too.
7. Pour all of the juices and sauce from the pot over the shanks. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest.