Our winter has been extra long this year. Over the weekend, there were still snow flakes in the air and it was in the 20's overnight. So, for Sunday dinner, it did not seem odd to be making a hearty meal like ossobuco (veal shanks).
This is a traditional recipe for Ossobuco, researched by Giuliano Bugialli, in his book Classic Techniques of Italian Cooking.
Ossobuco is a dish using sliced veal shanks, braised in a white wine and tomato sauce, where the center piece of bone with its marrow is considered the pearl in the oyster.
I took some short cuts (he cuts his own shanks!) and sized the recipe down to serve two. His version for 6. You could increase or decrease it depending on the number you are feeding.
It takes a couple of hours to make this dish, so give yourself plenty of time. I didn't. :)
Ossobuco
(from Giuliano Bugialli)
Serves 6
6 ossibuchi (veal shank cut into 1 1/2 inch slices, bone marrow in center, and tied with string)
1 medium sized red onion
1 medium size carrot
1 celery stalk
1 small piece of lemon peel
2 1/2 cups drained canned imported Italian tomatoes
3 T. tomato paste
1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup olive oil
5 T. sweet butter
salt and freshly ground pepper
About 1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 clove garlic, peeled but left whole
About 20 sprigs Italian parsley, leaves only
Optional:
2 cups rice, preferably Italian Arborio
Coarse grained salt
Scant 1/2 t. saffron, ground
Pass the tomatoes through a food mill and mix with the tomato paste. (I skipped this step and crushed my tomatoes with a whisk.)
Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery and lemon peel together. (I used a bag of grocery store mirepoix and grated in the lemon.) Heat 1/3 cup olive oil and 2 T. butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is completely melted, add the chopped ingredients and saute lightly for about 10 minutes.
(This mixture smells great!!! The lemon peel becomes fragrant.)
Then add the tomato-tomato paste mixture. (I stirred in the tomato paste first, and cooked it until all of the vegetables were coated, just as I would with a curry, to deepen the flavor. And then I stirred the tomatoes.)
Taste for salt and pepper and simmer 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, lightly flour the ossibuchi on both sides but not on the edges. (I used store-bought shanks and did not tie them.) Heat the remaining oil and butter in a flameproof casserole over medium heat. When the butter is completely melted, add the meat and saute
until golden brown on both sides (about 3 minutes each side).
Add the wine (carefully!) and let it evaporate over very low heat for about 20 minutes.
Pass all of the ingredients of the saucepan through a food mill (I skipped this step) and pour over the meat. (I also added some water because my sauce was too thick and not deep enough to come half-way up the sides of the meat for effective braising).
Add the garlic. (I did this before adding the tomato sauce.)
Cover the casserole and simmer for 40 minutes. Then turn the ossibuchi on the other side, discard the garlic, and taste for salt and pepper.
Cover again and simmer for about 35 minutes longer. Coarsely chop the parsley on a board.
If the ossobuco is to be served accompanied by rice, prepare the rice while the meat is cooking. Twenty minutes before ossibuchi are ready, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add coarse grained salt to taste and
add the rice
and saffron.
Stir with a wooden spoon and let the rice cook until al dente (about 16 minutes). Drain the rice and arrange it on a warm serving dish.
Place the already cooked ossibuchi on top of the rice, then pour over the remaining sauce from the casserole. Sprinkle with parsley (I used lots) and serve immediately.
Everyone should have a small fork (or spoon) in addition to the normal one in order to eat the marrow, which is considered the choicest part of the ossobuco.
We loved the abrorio rice cooked this way. It is lighter (than when made as a risotto) and absorbs the flavors of the sauce, as a pasta would.
B
