Braised Lamb Shanks With Tzatziki And Tomato Salad - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup light olive oil
6 None lamb shanks, french trimmed
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
1 stick celery, trimmed and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup pearl barley
1/2 cup dried brown lentils
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 medium plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
None None Pita bread, to serve
None None FOR THE TZATZIKI
1 small cucumber ,peeled, seeded and finely grated
1 cup yogurt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 250\u00b0F.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven on high heat. Cook lamb, in batches, until browned all over. Remove from pan.
Add onion, carrot and celery to same pan on low heat. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add garlic, stock, wine, tomato paste, barley, lentils, chickpeas and thyme; bring to a boil. Return lamb to pan; cover. Cook in oven for 2 hours. Stir in 1 cup water; cover. Cook in oven for 1 hour or until lamb is almost falling off the bone. Season to taste.
Meanwhile, combine tomato, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and half the parsley in a medium bowl. Season to taste.
For the tzatziki, squeeze excess liquid from cucumber. Combine cucumber with remaining ingredients in a medium bowl. Season to taste.
Serve lamb topped with tomato salad and tzatziki. Sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve with warmed or grilled pita bread.