Preheat oven 325 F.
Place a roasting pan with lid (or Dutch oven) on a stove top burner on medium heat. Heat up olive oil (4 tbs.). When heated, sear the shanks on all sides for about 3 minutes per side. Remove shanks to a plate.
Add olive oil (2 tbs.) to the pan, then add the vegetables and saut for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and heat for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste (2 tbs.) and mix with the vegetables until well coated. Heat 1-2 minutes.
Add the wine, chopped tomatoes, beef broth, mint jelly (1 tbs.), apricots, and the spices, including the fresh mint. Turn off the heat and add in the shanks to the mixture.
Cover, place into the heated oven, and reduce heat to 300 F. Cook for about 3 hours depending on size of shanks. When done, bone will be more prominent and meat will be very loose. Set pan aside.
Take 1.5 cups of the hot broth (from the pan) and add it to a medium sauce pan. Add tomato paste (1 tbs.), mint jelly (1 tbs.), and grated lemon peel.
Heat until just bubbling, stirring occasionally as it thickens. Scoop out a good portion of the vegetables from the roasting pan and add to the gravy.
Plate the lamb shanks on a bed of polenta (or) wide flat noodles, or along-side a portion of Italian risotto.
Ladle the completed vegetable gravy over the plated shanks. Finish with some chopped parsley and a lemon twist.
