Lamb shanks with wild mushrooms & rosemary

• 6 small lamb shanks
• 2 cups Cabernet wine
• ½ cup dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 qt. Chicken stock (preferably homemade from roasted bones)
• ½ cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• ½ lb. Shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 lb. Mixed mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (morels, oyster, chanterelles, etc.)
• 1 tsp. Each: chopped fresh thyme and sage
• 1 tbsp. Chopped fresh rosemary
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper, to taste
• additional sprigs of fresh herbs for garnish

Arrange the lamb shanks on a sheet pan and broil them until they are browned nicely on all sides. Place the lamb shanks in a large soup pot and add the wine, the porcinis and the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and gently simmer the shanks for two to three hours or until meat is falling off the bones. Remove dried porcinis from the sauce. Cover the shanks and turn off the heat.

Heat the butter and the olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally for several minutes or until they start to brown. Add the butter and cook another minute. Next add all the mushrooms along with a sprinkling of salt and continue to cook until the mushrooms are tender. Add the mushroom mixture to the lamb shanks and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until sauce has reduced by one third. Carefully remove the shanks from the sauce and set aside, covered. Now increase the heat for the sauce to medium and reduce the sauce until it is slightly thickened. Add the shanks back to the sauce along with the herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low and serve shanks when fully heated. Serve lamb shanks with a ladleful of sauce alongside mashed potatoes or pasta. Garnish with herb sprigs, if desired. Makes 6 servings.