Newsletter # 9 I’ve heard of that: Ossobuco

This dish originates from the Lombardy region of Northern Italy. The cut of meat is a cross-cut veal shank. Think of a very large lamb shank cut across the bone, about 3cm-4cm thick. One piece is generally considered to be a portion. They make a perfect braise in either a thick based Dutch oven or a slow cooker. Traditionally served with a Risotto which bears the name of the region’s capital city, Milan. We’ll have a look at risotto on another day; today I will serve the Ossobuco with another Italian staple – creamy polenta. Finally we’ll make the traditional accompaniment – Gremolata.

Depending where you shop you may have difficulty in obtaining veal. If so you can substitute yearling or ‘young beef’. Regardless make sure the bone on each portion has a nice centre of marrow. If you are purchasing them at your favourite butcher get them to gently trim the outside sinew – this will prevent the shanks curling up when you seal them.

You can substitute beef stock for the veal stock and I thinly sliced the garlic instead of crushing it.

Ingredients

Pat the meat dry with some kitchen paper; season the meat on both sides and then generously dust the surfaces with plain flour, before shaking off the excess.

In a hot frypan pour the olive oil and seal the shanks until golden brown all over; it should take about 8-10 minutes. When done place the Ossobuco in your cooking pot.

Add the garlic, onion, carrot and celery and a little more oil to the same frypan and cook for a further 6 or so minutes. Try to avoid too much colour on the vegetables. Remember burnt vegetables, particularly onion will make the finished dish bitter.

You could add the thyme, bay leaf and seasonings at this point, but be sparing with the salt.

Add the vegetables to your cooking pot

Deglaze the frypan with the stock.

Add the tomato paste, tomatoes and wine to your pot.

Bring the pot to a simmer and stir a little before turning the pot down to a very slow simmer.

Lid the pot now with only an occasional stir. Simmer for one hour.

If you are cooking the Ossobuco on your stove top it will probably be faster but require a little more care, with a little more stirring to prevent the sauce from sticking. Alternative if your pot is capable of going in the oven, pre-heat your oven to 150c before placing  your lidded pot, after it starts to simmer, in the oven.

If you are using a slow cooker you may find you end up with too much sauce. If so, carefully take out the meat, trying to keep your portions whole. At this point check the seasoning of the sauce; if you’re happy with the flavour and consistency use it as-is and use the leftover sauce in another recipe or freeze it for future use.

 If the sauce needs seasoning and is too thin, reduce the sauce on your stove top and then check the seasoning.

Ossobuco

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Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Two cross-cut veal shanks around 300g each
• 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• One medium sized onion peeled, small even dice
• One medium size carrot peeled, small even dice
• One small celery stalk washed, small even dice
• Three garlic cloves peeled, crushed
• One tbsp tomato paste
• Two firm ripe tomatoes blanched, peeled and chopped
• One cup dry white wine
• 4 ooml veal stock or beef stock
• One bay leaf
• ½ bunch of Italian parsley washed, picked, chopped
• Five sprigs fresh thyme sprigs leaf only
• coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Equipment

• Choose either a lidded Dutch oven or an electric slow-cooker in conjunction with a frypan for this recipe.

Method

 

1. If you are using a slow cooker, turn it on high setting and preheat the insert with some boiling water.
2. In either your Dutch oven or your frypan place the oil and turn on high heat
3. Pat the meat portions dry with absorb, season them and dust each shank portion with flour. Shake off excess flour. Adjust the heat.
4. Place both portions in the hot oil. Seal until golden brown before turning. You need to achieve a similar colour on the other side as well as the edges of the shanks.
5. Place the sealed shanks in the slow cooker (after draining the hot water) or on the side so you can cook the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in the frypan or Dutch oven. Add a little extra olive oil if needed
6. Sweat the vegetables for about 6 minutes; a little colour is OK. Do not scorch or burn the vegetables.
7. Add the cooked vegetables to your slow cooker or add back the veal shanks to the Dutch oven
8. De-Glaze the frypan with white wine and add to the slow cooker. You are now finished with the frypan. Alternatively add the wine to the Dutch oven
9. Adjust the Dutch oven heat to medium
10. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, stock, thyme and bay leaf.
11. Bring the Dutch oven to the boil; turn down to lowest heat setting. Give it a stir before covering the Dutch oven
12. Do the same with the slow-cooker.
13. The cooking time will vary – depending on thickness. Allow 1 – 11/2 hours for either pot, stirring occasionally. After 1 hour test the meat and then every 10 – 15 minutes. Naturally expect the slow cooker to take a little longer than the Dutch oven
14. When tender (but not falling of the bone) take out. Take out the bay leaf. Reduce the sauce if necessary. Check seasoning
15. Stir in the chopped parsley. Ready

Notes

When not stirring make sure you try and keep the lid on your pot to prevent too much evaporation
Left over sauce can be frozen and used in other casseroles

Cornmeal

Corn is a relative late comer in Italian cuisine compared to pasta, but it is thought that corn was introduced to Italy before another ingredient that Italy is famous for – tomatoes.

Cornmeal is made from dried corn kernels which have been ground to either a coarse, medium or fine granule. In Italy Cornmeal is known as polenta.

Polenta is so versatile. Depending on the recipe you can use it to make cakes or grill it or even make polenta fries with it. In today’s recipe, Creamy Polenta I have used a vegetable stock. Alternatively you could use chicken stock. The texture is soft and creamy and perfect for to help you mop up the Ossobuco sauce.

Ingredients

Creamy Polenta:

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Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 20 ml extra virgin olive oil
• One small onion peeled, diced
• One garlic clove peeled, minced
• Two cups chicken stock
• ¾ cup of cornmeal polenta
• 30 g butter
• 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 10 ml cream optional
• sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Method

 

1. In a small pot, over medium heat, sweat the onion and garlic in the olive oil for about 6 minutes. A little colour is OK. Do not scorch or burn the onion or garlic
   
2. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to low
   
3. Using your whisk to stir, pour the cornmeal into the stock in a steady stream’
   
4. Turn the heat down til the mixture is barely boiling and continue to stir with the whisk
5. Stir occasionally for the next for up to 15 minutes, depending on the coarseness of the grain
6. Add the butter, parmesan, and seasoning
7. Cook for a few more minutes
8. Serve

Notes

The cooking time will vary depending on the coarseness of the cornmeal. If you are using fine grade (the most common) it will be about 5 minutes
Polenta will keep warm (covered) at the back of the stove
Cooked leftover polenta can be refrigerated for up to five days. To reheat the polenta on the stove, add a little boiling stock and breakup the polenta with your whisk. Stir it until it is creamy again.

Gremolata

Your last task is the Gremolata. Fresh chopped parsley does not have good keeping qualities so it’s best to not combine the individual ingredients until the last moment. Use sparingly if you are unsure.

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• Zest of ¼ medium size lemon finely grated
• 1 finely minced small garlic clove
• Leaf from 1/5th bunch of Italian parsley washed, picked, chopped not too small.
• A pinch of sea salt

Method

 

1. In a bowl mix the three ingredients together
2. Sprinkle the mix on the top of your finished braise