Lamb Shanks with Herbs, Oranges and Olives

Lamb shanks are packed with flavour, and when cooked slowly until they fall off the bone, they are in my book, the best comfort food around. Mashed potato, peas and carrots are the perfect accompaniment to this meal. Serves 4.

4 lamb shanks
3T olive oil
2 red onions, finely chopped
1 head of garlic, cut in half
2T tomato puree
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 oranges thickly sliced
1 cup white wine
1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup of olives
fresh flat leaf parsley to garnish

Preheat the oven to 160C.
Season the lamb and brown in the olive oil in  a large casserole dish. Remove and place on kitchen towel. Fry the onions on low heat, leaving them to sweat and become soft. Stir in the tomato puree and rosemary. Allow to cook for a few minutes.
Place the lamb and the rest of the ingredients into the casserole dish, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Cook in the oven for 3 hours until the meat is falling off the bone. Remove the garlic and bay leaves and garnish with parsley and serve with Merlot or Shiraz red wine.

Banting: omit the orange slices.