Creole Lamb Shank                                         
From the Files of Tom Fitzmorris

This is one of the most popular daily specials in all the restaurants that serve it. And it's easy to make at home, although it needs to cook for a long time to get the flavors to emerge and for the meat to gain its lip-smacking tenderness. Lamb shanks are relatively inexpensive, too.


Ingredients
Marinade:
1 1/2 cups Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot, or Shiraz wine
3/4 cup orange juice
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbs. Tabasco Caribbean steak sauce, or Pickapeppa
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, lightly crushed
1 Tbs. mixed peppercorns

2 lamb shanks, 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. each
Creole seasoning Your own or one of the many brands)
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 ribs celery, cut into one-inch chunks
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 large or 2 small ripe tomatoes, cubed
1 1/2 cups chicken broth




1. A day before cooking, combine all the marinade ingredients and divide into two portions. Put each lamb shank into a one-gallon food storage bag along with half of the marinade. Seal the bags and place them into the refrigerator eight hours to overnight.
2. Three hours before serving time, remove the shanks from the
marinade. Strain and save the marinade.
3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the shanks with Creole seasoning and salt. (I do this generously; season to your taste.) Brown the shanks all around in the skillet, then remove the shanks.
4. Lower the heat and add 1/2 cup of the reserved marinade. Bring to a boil while whisking the pan to dissolve the crusty bits from the lamb. Cook for about three minutes. Then add the onions, celery, tomatoes, thyme, chicken stock, and lamb shanks. Cover the skillet loosely with aluminum foil, and place into the preheated 325-degree oven.
5. Every half hour or so, turn the shanks and, if the liquid contents of the pan are drying out, add a but of water. Continue braising the shanks for two to two and a half hours, or until the meat begins falling off the bone.
6. Remove the shanks. Place the skillet back onto the stove and
sprinkle in 1 Tbs. flour. Stir the pan contents and season with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Reduce to sauce
consistency (it may already be there), and serve around the shanks.

Serve the shanks with pasta or rice. Serves two to four.