Braised Australian Lamb Shwarma

Method

For lamb shanks: Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat a large roasting pan over medium high heat, then add oil. Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with ras al hanout spice and dredge in flour. Sear each lamb shank in vegetable oil until lightly browned on each side. Remove shanks from pan and onion, carrots and celery. Sweat for 5 minutes, and then add tomato paste and cook for addition 2 minutes. Deglaze with white wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrap the bottom of the pan. Once the wine has almost evaporated, add the tomatoes and cook for additional 10 minutes.
Add the stock and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the shanks back to the pan.
Using cheesecloth, make a sachet by placing herbs, garlic, whole peppercorns. Tie it closed with twine then add to the pan. Cover the pan with parchment paper then foil and transfer to the oven.Cook for 1 ½ hours or until meat is tender and almost comes off the bone. When done, remove the pan from the oven and let the cool for 1 hour. Remove the shanks from the liquid and pick the meat from the bones. Reserve the liquid.

For black tahini sauce: Blend black sesame seeds with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add remaining ingredients to blender and blend until well incorporated.

For pomegranate tzatziki: Mix all ingredients together. Reserve.

For mint charmoula: Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

For pickled beets: Bring water vinegar, pickling spice, salt and sugar to a boil. Add boiling mixture to beets and let sit until cooled to room temperature. Reserve.

To serve: Gently pull the meat from the bone, leaving large pieces. Preheat a sauté pan with reserved braising liquid, add meat to reheat. Place a piece of lavas in a hot oven for 1 minute to soften, lay flat on serving plate. Drizzle some tahini on the lavash and add a few lettuce leaves. Place lamb on top of lettuce. Drizzle with charmoula and the tzatziki, and then add pickled beets and chopped tomatoes. Sprinkle with zaatar spice and serve.