Lamb shanks, hearty red wine warm an evening

Lamb Shanks Braised in Red Wine is a simple dish that combines onion, carrot and celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns with dry red wine and chicken broth.

Syrah or a Syrah-based blend deepens the flavor of the braising liquid and offsets the slight lambiness that some people find objectionable.

Or, or you can pull the meat off, add it to the sauce and serve atop mashed potatoes, polenta or couscous.

Serve the shanks on the bone or pull off the meat and use on polenta, mashed potatoes or pasta.

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste2 tablespoons canola oil + more as needed 1/2 cup all-purpose flour1 medium yellow onion, chopped, about 1 cup1 rib celery, chopped 1 large carrot, chopped 8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed2 cups dry red wine such as Syrah2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, as needed1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme2 bay leaves1 teaspoon peppercorns-- Minced parsley, optionalInstructions:

Heat a thin layer of oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat.

Remove any burned bits, but leave browned bits - the fond - in the pan to add flavor.

Add the onions, celery and carrot; cook until the vegetables start to soften and brown, about 8 minutes, adding the garlic toward the end.

Per serving: 402 calories, 35 g protein, 13 g carbohydrate, 14 g fat (4 g saturated), 109 mg cholesterol, 154 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.