Garlic, Red Wine Lamb Shanks, slow cooker

What you need:

4 lamb shanks
olive oil
2 onions quartered
2 large carrots sliced
4 stalks of celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
2½ cups red wine, ( use a good quality)
1 large tin of can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2  oxo chicken stock cubes
1 tablespoon of raw suger
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 dried bay leaves
1 tablespoon  dried rosemary

What to do:

1. Wash and pat the lamb shanks dry and sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt and black pepper.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy based pot (cast iron pan is ideal) over high heat.
Sear the lamb shanks until brown all over, and place in slow cooker
3. Turn the heat down to medium low. Heat remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil in the same pot. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Sauté for 10 minutes until the onion is translucent.
Add the red wine and turn up the heat to medium high. Bring it to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan to mix all the brown bits into the wine. Simmer for 3 minutes to evaporate the alcohol a bit, then transfer to slow cooker to cover the shanks.
4. In a jug, mix the tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, raw sugar, crumble in the chicken stock cubes and mix well.
5. Add the bay leaves to the slow cooker and pour the sauce over the shanks and veges.
6. cook on high for about 5 hours if you are home all day, or on low if you are out all day, though these times will depend on your slow cooker.
7. Serve with creamy mashed potato or dumplings . yum !

Garlic, Red Wine Lamb Shanks, slow cooker