Italian Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 slices bacon, diced
4T flour
1T olive oil
1T rosemary, crushed
2 dried thai chilies, crushed
salt and pepper
4 lamb shanks, trimmed
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2T balsamic vinegar
2T anchovy paste
1 glass white wine
1 large can crushed tomatoes
2T tomato paste

Preparation

1. In a large skillet cook bacon on medium low heat until crisp. Remove to slow cooker. Combine flour, rosemary, chiles, two good pinches of salt and grindings of pepper. Dust each lamb shank in the mixture.
2. Add olive oil to the pan and brown shanks on each side over medium heat. Remove and place in one layer in slow cooker.
3. Add onion, celery and carrot and cook for 3 minutes to soften. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add balsamic and white wine and let it cook to reduce halfways, and remaining ingredients, stir to combine and pour over shanks.
4. Set slow cooker on high for 3-4 hours or low for 8 hours.
5. Can be made a day ahead, separate sauce from shanks when storing and spoon the fat off the sauce if necessary.