Andy's version of Osso Buco is the traditional one. Here's another that's a little different. No tomato.
Braised Veal Shanks with Onion Sauce
”Osso Buco for the lady?” The line (from some old movie) is a family joke between my sister and I, but it¹s inspired yet another opulent main course for a “company dinner.” This recipe is adapted from one by another of my Italian cooking teachers, Giuliano Bugialli. It¹s a little different than you might expect there are no tomatoes!
6 servings
6 large red onions, peeled
6 veal shanks cut into 1 ½-inch slices (with bone and marrow)
4 bay leaves
3 large garlic cloves peeled, left whole
3 whole cloves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup unbleached flour
½ cup dry white wine
grated rind of 1 lemon
2 cups chicken or beef stock, heated
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
pinch of nutmeg
Grémolata:
4 fresh sage leaves
the leaves from 15 sprigs of Italian parsley
1 small clove garlic
grated rind of 1 (additional) lemon
1. Using your Cuisinart fitted with the 2 mm slicing blade, slice the onions. Soak them for ½ hour in a bowl of cold water.
2. Tie each piece of meat around the sides with string. Make a bouquet garni of the bay leaves, garlic and cloves and tie it up with cheesecloth.
3. Melt 4 tablespoons butter with the oil in a deep-sided sauté pan over medium heat. When butter is completely melted, drain onions and add to sauté pan. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the onions to a baking dish, leaving juices in the pan. Add remaining butter and melt it. NOW, lightly flour veal shanks on both sides but not on the edges. Add veal shanks to hot butter mixture. Sauté until golden brown on each sides (about 3 minutes per side). Add wine and let it evaporate (about 2 minutes).
4. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange meat in a single layer over the onions in the baking dish. Sprinkle the lemon rind (1 lemon only) over the meat, then pour the warmed stock in, and add the remaining sauce from the sauté pan. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Put bag of herbs in the baking dish. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Shake dish 3 or 4 times while cooking (don’t remove cover!] to keep meat from sticking.
5. Finely chop parsley, sage and garlic together on a board, and transfer to a small bowl. Add grated lemon rind and mix.
6. Transfer veal shanks to a warm serving platter. Remove strings and cover to keep warm.
7. Discard bag of herbs and pass onion sauce from the baking dish through a food mill (medium hole) into a saucepan. Put saucepan over medium heat. Taste for salt and pepper and cook about 20 minutes to thicken.
While sauce is cooking, prepare the Risotto Milanese
To serve, sprinkle Grémolata over each serving. Serve with the risotto.
Wine Tip: This luscious dish deserves a comparable wine. Choose a Barbaresco with a little age, if your budget will allow it.
and here's the risotto that goes with the Osso Buco.
Risotto alla Milanese
Regardless of what you may have read or heard elsewhere, there is really no shortcut to making an excellent risotto. It will always take you twenty minutes from the time you start the cooking process until you bring it to the table. If you have ever eaten an excellent risotto, you will know that it is worth the time and patience it takes. The object is to create a creamy and voluptuous dish while the core of the rice remains resistant to the tooth. There are as many varieties of risotto as you can possibly think of, but this one is the classic accompaniment to Osso Buco.
makes 6 servings
6 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots or onion
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups raw Arborio rice
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Sea salt, if necessary
1. Bring the broth to a slow steady simmer.
2. Put the shallots in a heavy pan with 3 tablespoons of the butter and all the oil and sauté over medium-high heat until translucent but not browned.
3. Add the rice and stir until it is well coated. Sauté lightly then add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth. Proceed according to basic risotto direction, adding 1/2 cup broth as the rice dries out, and stirring very frequently to keep it from sticking. If you run out of broth, use water.
4. When the rice is almost done, add the saffron, all the grated cheese and the remaining butter. Mix well. Taste and correct for salt. Remember, when the cooking nears the end, not to add too much broth at one time. The risotto should be creamy but not runny. Serve immediately, with additional grated cheese on the side, if desired.
Teacher’s Tips: 1. This risotto is good enough to be “supper” all by itself. Simply toss a salad of peppery greens, and choose a crisp Pinot Grigio.
2.Leftover risotto makes delicious rice cakes.
