When I went shopping for lamb shanks a few days ago, my butcher was out of them. Same thing at my backup butcher, and at my two local supermarkets. When I expressed my frustration to one of the supermarket meat stockers, he replied: “You should’ve gotten here earlier in the day.When the weather gets cooler like this, those lamb shanks are the first things to go!” That’s understandable, because lamb shanks are the quintessential meat for braising, which in turn is the quintessential cooking method for autumn. With the weather getting cooler, an aromatic assortment of meat and vegetables simmering for a few hours sounds like just the thing to make the house feel — and smell — cozy.