Well, today is my pre-Valentine celebration...I wanted something a little bit elaborate, but not overwhelming in either time or impact...if it's a romantic celebration, you don't want to be sitting around on the couch rubbing your tummies after the festive meal! Knowing that I had the Saturday free, but wouldn't have time to market, I took half an hour on Friday afternoon to make a little menu and order up some FreshDirect to arrive Saturday (today) morning. I love New York City! Not my usual M.O., but after heavy snow and 13-15 hour days this week, I'll take a little help, even if I paid a $20 premium (the higher prices and delivery fees).
I want to note that to me, cooking and fussing in the kitchen IS relaxing. If it's not, please don't force yourself!
So, I decided to make something special, something you don't whip up on weeknight. Something that might be a special treat...and remembered Eric requesting Ossobuco! I looked at a few different recipes, found a few cool ideas, and had it in the oven at noon today.
OSSOBUCO - Serves 4 people. (Or however many shanks you get)
4 Veal Shanks - this is a cut that goes through the bone. As a bonus, the bone is full of marrow, a frightening but intriguing substance! The easy first reaction is YEEEEATCH! but many people love it - it is rich, complex, and definitely something special! Now about buying your shanks...ideally you'd go to a butcher, and get 4 that are the same size, because it looks better asthetically and people don't fight over how gets the bigger piece. However, I received two large and two small ones, and it made no difference whatsoever. The cooking time doesn't really matter, because they are braised until they are practically falling apart!
Anyway, these shanks - try to bring them to room temperature before you cook them. Wash them up, dry them off, and salt and pepper both sides generously. You can tie them around with kitchen twine if you have it handy, but it's find without. Tying them adds a bit to the presentation cause the round shape is preserved better during cooking. I did not. Heat your oven to 300 degrees F. Many people lightly flour the shanks, which isn't a bad idea, but the flour sometimes burns a bit, so I opted not to.
optional but oh so nice - duck bacon, chopped. I used three slices. Or some porky product, but I don't want to know about it. Duck bacon is becoming more easily available. If you don't have a store near you, you can get it through the mail here. So, for duck bacon, chop it up, and cook it in a dutch oven or a heavy oven-safe pot over medium heat until all the fat melts and you have little nuggets of deliciousness. Pull out the nuggets and refrain from eating them. Leave the fat in the bottom of the dutch oven with enough olive oil to coat the bottom (about 2 Table) or use 2 T of olive oil, heated until smoking and ...
Brown your shanks. if they don't all fit at once, do them in shifts. You are not cooking the meat, you are browng it. Remove then from the pan and reserve. Turn your heat down to medium low and add the onion, with a large pinch of salt. Stir it around, and let it cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occassionally. The onions will get lightly browned, sweet, and soft.
Add:
One large onion, diced small
One carrot, diced small
One rib celery, diced small
Two large cloves garlic, chopped - use fresh, please!
1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 teaspoons fresh
ditto thyme
2 bay leaves
and cook another 5-10 minutes, then add the following and bring to a slow boil over medium high heat:
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
salt and pepper - kosher and fresh ground is preferable
half a large can San Marzano tomatoes with juice - I find the San Marzano labeled tomatoes to be delicious, but you may like others. Just use a good quality tomato, without any added herbs or spices.
1 cup dry white wine - I used a Portuguese vino verde
2 cups good chicken stock
Simmer about ten minutes, then add in the cooked bits of (duck) bacon, the shanks, make sure they are mostly covered by liquid, then cover and cook in a 300 degree oven for 3 hours. Check and make sure the meat is super tender, if not, it is no problem to cook for a lot longer. Put it in for another hour. If you want, you can put it at a lower temperature and cook even longer for even more tender meat. When it is done, remove the shanks, and bring the remaining contents of the pot to a boil. Simmer to reduce, remove bay leaves, any large springs of thyme or rosemary, and cook until it is slightly thickened.
Traditional topping is a gremolata, which is lemon zest, garlic, and parsley. one lemon, zested, a bit of orange zest, 1 small clove of garlic, crushed with a press or with a side of a knife and then chopped (fresh), 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley, splash olive oil, pinch salt, few grinds of black pepper. I used blood orange rind, which has a tiny bit of bitter flavor. I don't usually like bitter flavors, but they balance other flavors really well in small amounts.
I am serving this over a simple polenta.
1 cup polenta or corn meal
2 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 T chopped chives
Mix corn meal and one cup of water in a bowl to create a slurry. Bring the rest of the ingredients to a boil and then stir in the corn slurry. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon every then minutes. Stir in chopped chives. I find that this reheats really well in the microwave. Comes out super creamy and delicious, a little plain on it's own, but delicious as a foil to flavorful sauces. You can also add a bit of grated Parmesan cheese or alternatively, leave out the chives and top with something sweet (I like agave nectar or maple syrup plus ripe banana!).
Serve Ossobuco over polenta, topped with gremolata.
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