I had some friends coming over and decided to make something I had never made before. Lamb came to mind – I’d make leg of lamb before but never shanks and we all know how much I love braising!!!

Here goes – I’m starting off backwards. Below is the final product: coriander and fennel rubbed shanks with parsnip puree and shredded brussels sprouts with pine nuts.

Here is the spice rub I made– its a combo of coriander and fennel seeds and pepper, toasted, then ground up.

The shanks are rubbed and massaged with love and browned in a dutch oven.

Here they are waiting to be braised.

Here is a closer look at that little plate: cloves, crushed red pepper, and star anise are all added to the pot before it all goes into the oven.

After the shanks are browned, I sauteed carrots, onions, garlic, leeks and celery for a while, added Ruby port, chicken and beef stock and reduced it all down for about 45 minutes before adding the shanks back in with the above spices.

This was an amazing meal and the accompaniment of the parsnip and the brussels is highly recommended.

*Samer is based in LA.