I start my braises in the privacy of dark winter mornings. First I brown a piece of bone-in meat – lately it’s been beef – with hot fat in a heavy enamel pot. The braise of the day is shanks with turnips, carrots, plenty of garlic, onions, some parsley, a bay leaf and homemade stock. All day the braise fills my small home with smells that are elemental, earthy, and lush.