Aromatic Lamb Shanks Simmered in Vegetable Sauce

By western standards, shanks have the reputation of being humble cuts that are a staple of the peasant kitchen. That is perhaps why they are relatively cheaper than, say, lamb chops. However, recent surveys in food magazines show that shanks are showing up and selling out at the most exclusive restaurants. In Iraq, they have always been looked upon as a delicacy. Some of the succulent bone marrow (mukh il-’adhum) will seep into the broth and enrich it, and the rest is either extracte