Greek Kleftiko
700g lamb shanks
1 onions
1-2 medium sticks celery
2 medium sized carrots
3 cloves garlic
dry red wine
1 cup chicken stock
olive oil
thyme
bay leaf
Preheat pan. Brown the lambshanks on all sides and aggressively season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Move them to the vacuum pot (or slow cooker, or oven tray).
Brown the onions, then add the garlic, celery and carrots. Move them to the vacuum pot. Pour a healthy slug of wine into the pan, allow it to heat up and then scrape it all into the vacuum pot. Add the chicken stock, and the herbs. Put the lid on and forget about it. The next morning, bring it back to boil, then leave it til you get home from work and bring to boil one last time. Just before dinner, take out the lamb, and rapidly boil the liquid to reduce it, and stir in a spoonful of flour mixing away like mad to make sure there are no bumps.
If you're using the slow cooker, do whatever you normally do with a slow cooker.
If you're using the oven, arrange the lamb shanks on a baking tray, and pour enough liquid to come up past half way covering them. Bake at about 180 for 3 hours.
Serve with a wedge of lemon. Side of beans (muuhuuhaha!) or fine, use less ahem reactive veges.
Notes: A vacuum pot is a giant thermos, great for slow cooking about a day in advance. Requires very little supervision (heat it and go) and no gas/electricity. I preheat the vacuum pot by pouring in some boiling water while its waiting to be used.
Could add some tomato puree.