Directions

• MarinadeIn large bowl, combine oil, lemon juice, savory, garlic, and pepper. Add lamb shanks and toss to coat. Place shanks and marinade in sealable plastic bags; remove air from bags and seal. Refrigerate and marinate overnight. Remove shanks from marinade and discard marinade.
• Braised Lamb ShanksSeason lamb shanks with salt and pepper. In large skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over high heat. Add shanks two or three at a time, and brown until golden on both sides. Remove from pan and continue process preparing all shanks. Place shanks in a pan large enough to accommodate them in a single layer, or in two 9x13-inch glass pans. Pour drippings out of skillet.
• In same skillet, add remaining 1/4 cup oil, and saut onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saut 1 minute. Stir in savory and Aleppo or red pepper flakes. Blend in wine, scraping the bottom of pan to loosen brown bits of meat and vegetables. Cook until the liquid is reduced by almost half. Mix in broth, crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks. Ladle hot liquid over shanks. Bake in 375F oven for 2 1/2 hours, occasionally spooning pan juices over meat.
• Remove from oven and transfer shanks to platter. Remove bay leaves and cinnamon sticks from pan juices, discard. Reserve 1 cup of pan juices. Add cooked orzo to pan, stirring to coat with pan juices. If orzo mixture seems dry, add a little of the reserved pan juices. Return to oven and cook for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and check to see if orzo needs more liquid. Add more reserved pan juice as needed. Place lamb shanks on top of orzo. Cook additional 10 minutes.
• Spoon orzo onto each plate and top with lamb shank. Spoon on reserved pan juices. Sprinkle with parsley and cheese.