Braised Lamb Shanks

Well hello there!  I had a friend ask me what happened to the Mary Buffet.  It has taken second fiddle to the Mary home improvement channel.  I will attempt to get back on track soon.  This quick little post is merely to add to my own personal list of stuff we love.  I've been making this dish for at least the last decade.  I believe in its inception, it coincided with the night we heard the words, "Norbert, go!" while having our friends over for dinner.  I'm not sure if the lamb shanks were a hit, but we've gotten a lot of mileage off of that statement.  


Two 1 pound lamb shanks
flour to coat lamb shanks
1 Onion
2 Shallots
2 cups red wine
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp tomato paste

Salt and pepper the shanks, then dredge in flour.  Heat 2 tbsp of oil over medium heat in a medium pan with a lid.  Brown shanks.  Remove, set aside.  Saute the onions and shallots until soft.  Add the rosemary, bay leaf and tomato paste.  Deglaze with wine and then add in beef stock and bring to a boil.  Return lamb to pan, turn once to coat with sauce.  Cover and simmer for 2.5  to 3 hours turning the lamb occasionally.  Remove lamb and bring the sauce to a boil to reduce a bit.  Serve with a crusty load of bread to sop up the sauce.  Still as tasty as the first time we had it.  The only thing missing were our friends.