Veal Osso Buco

I was first introduced to this traditionally northern Italian dish in a cooking class that I took at the Disney Institute at Walt Disney World back in the fall of 1999.  Since that time, I have tasted examples that range from mediocre to “change your life good” (Hello, little restaurant in San Francisco of which I can’t remember the name).  I have made several different recipes and have even had to wing it when I didn’t have one of the recipes handy (this is one of those dishes that once you get the basics of it, you don’t need that recipe to follow).

It’s no quick weeknight dinner and more suited to when you have several hours to prepare a meal.  But the end result is like velvet in your mouth and it has become one of my very favorite dishes in the world to both make and eat. 

Serves 2–4

 

Ingredients:

2-4 veal shanks cut approximately 1 1 /2” thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced 
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
1 tablespoon dry parsley
3 bay leaves  
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 (14 .5 ounce) can diced tomatoes  (drained)
1 1/2 to 2 cups low sodium canned chicken broth (possibly more if needed)

Gremolata
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 teaspoons minced zest from 1 lemon
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

 

You will also need:

Olive oil
Heavy shallow casserole with a lid (like a dutch or french oven)
Cooking twine
Spare bowl
 

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 325°. 

Tie each of the veal shanks snugly to keep them from falling apart in the cooking process.  Pat dry with paper towels and salt and pepper all sides.  Place French oven over high heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

Brown shanks for about 5 minutes on each side.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.  Deglaze pan with about 1/2 cup of the white wine, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Pour into the bowl with the shanks and return pot to medium-high heat.  (Repeat this process until all shanks are browned.)

Add a couple of more tablespoons of olive oil to the pot.  Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook until soft and lightly browned (may take 5-10 minutes).  Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).   Turn heat to high and add remaining wine, 1 1/2 cups of broth, juices from veal shanks, bay leaves, parsley & thyme and tomatoes.  Return the veal shanks to the pot.  Make sure that the liquid just almost covers the shanks; add broth as needed to adjust the level of the liquid.  Cover pot and bring to a simmer. 

Once simmering, cock the lid of the pot so that it is slightly ajar and place in the preheated oven (325°).  Cook until meat is easily pierced with a fork but not necessarily falling off the bone (about 2 hours). 

Prepare the gremolata by thoroughly combining all three ingredients (garlic, zest & parsley). 

When the osso buco has finished cooking in the oven, stir half of the gremolata into the pot with the osso buco and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Allow the osso buco to stand, uncovered, for about five minutes.

Be prepared.  The smell is intoxicating.

To serve: remove the shanks from the pot, cut off the twine and place on the serving dish.  Ladle on some of the braising liquid with the vegetables & tomatoes (but discarding bay leaves).  Top with just a sprinkle of the remaining gremolata and serve immediately. 

Osso buco is traditionally served with Risotto alla Milanese which is a saffron infused risotto. 

It is easy to bump up the ingredients for more shanks to feed a large crowd.  You can easily do 8-10 shanks in a decent sized roasting pan.

 

Now in pictures….

 

Tie the veal shank around the middle.

 

Brown the shanks in oil on high heat and deglaze the pan with white wine.

 

Cook onions, carrots, and celery over medium heat until soft.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant.  Add white wine, chicken broth and canned diced tomatoes.  Return shanks to the pot, bring to a simmer then place in 325° oven for 2 hours.

 

While it’s in the oven, make the gremolata.

When it’s done, the meat should pretty much fall off the bone.  Stir in half of the gremolata and let stand uncovered for 5-10 minutes.

Serve alongside some risotto alla milanese (saffron risotto).

Texas Red Chili

adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, #108, Jan/Feb 2011, page 15

As noted below, I typically make the chili paste in a large batch and freeze it in individual sizes to use later.  You can do this step any time  and doing this saves me time when it comes to actually making the chili. 

There are also several ingredient substitutions or variances in amounts noted below that will help you tailor this chili to your tastes as far as heat and availability of ingredients go.

If you need information about any of the dried chiles mentioned in this recipe, this link is good and has pictures and descriptions of many dried chiles.

Ingredients:

Chili paste:
6 dried ancho chiles; stems and seeds removed, flesh torn into 1 inch pieces
2 dried New Mexico chiles; stems and seeds removed, flesh torn into 1 inch pieces
2-4 dried árbol chiles; stems and seeds removed, pods split*
3 tablespoons cornmeal
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
½ - ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
salt

Chili:
salt
½ pound dried pinto beans (about 1 cup), rinsed & picked over (optional)**
2 medium onions, cut into ¾ - inch pieces
2-3 small jalapeño chiles, stems and seeds removed & discarded, flesh cut into ½ - inch pieces*
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes***
2 teaspoons molasses
3 ½ pounds blade stead, ¾ inch thick, trimmed of gristle and fat and cut into ¾ - inch pieces****
1 bottle (12 ounce) beer*****

*For árbol and jalapeño chiles, use the lesser amount for less heat and the higher amount for more heat. 2 árbol and 2 jalapeño chiles provided good heat that even my kids could handle. Also, each árbol chile may be substituted with 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper if the chiles are unavailable.

** Now, tradition holds that real “Texas Red” chili does not include beans. However, I like beans, so I do typically add them. But I have made this without the bean step and it was just fine. I have also added 1 can of each black and pinto beans (Ranch Style beans brand only if they are available to you) at the end of the cooking and that has worked as well.

***For a little more heat, 1 can of Ro*Tel tomatoes could be substituted for the regular diced tomatoes.

****Four pounds of chuck or chuck eye roast could be substituted for the blade steak. I used chuck roast and trimmed as much fat & gristle as possible and it turned out wonderful.

*****Of course, my preferred beer is Shiner Bock. But if you must use another beer because maybe you can’t get Shiner in your area of the country, well, I suppose that’s okay, too.

 

You will also need:

Food processor
12 – inch skillet
Dutch oven or stock pot that can transfer to oven

 

Method:

For the chili paste: I usually make a double or triple batch of the chili paste at one time and then freeze in individual serving containers to use later. This cuts down prep time a lot when you’re going to make the chili.

Place ancho and New Mexico chile pieces in 12 – inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat; toast, stirring frequently until flesh is fragrant (4 – 6 minutes) reducing heat if chiles begin to smoke. Transfer to bowl of food processor and cool. (Do not wash out skillet)

Add árbol chiles, cornmeal, Mexican oregano, cumin cocoa and ½ teaspoon salt to food processor with toasted ancho chiles. Process until finely ground (about 2 minutes). With processor running, very slowly add ½ - ¾ cup chicken broth until smooth paste forms (about 45 seconds), scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer to a bowl or freeze in individual size bowls as desired. (Do not clean out food processor bowl.)

For the chili: If using beans, combine 3 tablespoons table salt, 4 quarts water and beans in large Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove pot from heat, cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse well.

Place onions in food processor and pulse until thoroughly chopped (about 4 1 – second pulses). Add jalapeños and pulse until the consistency of chunky salsa (about 4 1-second pulses) scraping down bowl as needed.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion/ jalapeño mixture and cook, stirring occasionally until moisture has evaporated and vegetables are softened (7 –9 minutes). Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add chili paste, tomatoes and molasses. Stir until chili paste is thoroughly combined. Add 2 cups chicken broth and drained beans (if using); bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.

Preheat your oven to 300°F.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt. Add half of beef and cook until browned on all sides (about 10 minutes). Transfer meat to Dutch oven. Add ½ bottle beer to skillet, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits and bring to simmer. Transfer beer to Dutch oven. Repeat with remaining steak (oil, pat dry, salt, cook) and beer. Once all the meat and beer have been added, stir to combine and return to a simmer.

Cover pot and transfer to oven. Cook until meat and beans are fully tender (1 ½ - 2 hours). Let chili stand, uncovered, 10 minutes. Stir well and season to taste with salt before serving.

Serve with shredded cheese, chopped red onion, chopped cilantro and chopped avocado as topping choices. Flour or corn tortillas also make for good dippers.

This chili can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Hungarian Smoked Beef Braise

From Slow Cooker: The Best Cookbook Ever by Diane Phillips (page 186)

You can see my blog post about this cook book here.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

6 medium Yukon gold or red potatoes, quartered
4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch lengths
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into ½ - inch pieces
3 medium onions, cut into half rounds*
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 ½ - 4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons (plus some extra) canola or vegetable oil
One 14-15 ounce can chopped tomatoes, with juice
Once 12 ounce bottle Guinness or dark ale**

* For the onions, I saw this “cut into half rounds” description a couple of times in the book. As near as I can tell, this means to cut the onion in half lengthwise and then slice (so that the layers of the onion make a rainbow type pattern when sliced).

** We don’t normally have Guinness beer in our house. But, being a good Texan, I do quite often have Shiner Bock. The Shiner Bock worked great in this recipe.

You will also need:

Large skillet
1 gallon sized zip top baggie
5-7 quart slow cooker

Method:

Arrange the potatoes, carrots, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper in the insert of the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp.

Transfer the bacon to the slow-cooker insert and remove all but 3 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Heat the remaining fat in the pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, paprika, chiles, and garlic and sauté until the onions begin to soften ( 4-5 minutes).

Transfer the mixture to the slow-cooker insert. Put the flour and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt in the zip top baggie. Put the meat in the flour, toss to coat and shake off any excess flour.

Heat the canola oil in the same skillet over high heat. Add the meat a few pieces at a time and brown on all sides. Transfer the browned meat to the slow-cooker insert. Deglaze the pan with the tomatoes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Transfer the tomatoes to the slow-cooker insert. Add the Guinness (SHINER) and stir to combine. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours until the meat and vegetables are tender.

Skim off any fat from the top of the stew and serve the meat and vegetables from the slow cooker.

Spice Rub

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons each:
Whole cumin seeds
Whole coriander seeds
Whole mustard seeds

3 teaspoons each:
Whole Allspice
Whole Peppercorns

1 ½ cups brown sugar
4 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt
2 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon each:
Curry powder
Ground ginger
Cayenne pepper
Dried rosemary (crushed)
Ground cinnamon


You will also need:

Non-stick sauté pan/skillet
Spice grinder or spice dedicated coffee grinder


Method:

Measure each of the whole spices (cumin seeds, coriander seeds, allspice, mustard seeds and peppercorns) in to a small non-stick skillet and place over medium – medium-high heat. Shake the pan periodically to move the seeds around. Toast the spices in this manner until fragrant and you see a few wisps of smoke rising from the skillet. Remove from heat and pour the spices in to a different bowl or container to cool. Set aside.

While the toasted spices cool, measure the remaining ingredients (brown sugar, seasoned salt, paprika…. etc) and place in a bowl.

Once the whole spices have cooled a bit, place them into your spice grinder or spice dedicated coffee grinder and grind into a powder. Add them into your bowl and mix to combine while mashing up the clumps of brown sugar as you mix.


It can be used on Ribs, Brisket, Chicken... whatever.

Italian Cheese-Stuffed Meat Loaf

1 1/2 pounds ground beef*
2 cups soft French bread crumbs
2 ounces (1/2 cup) shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
2 eggs
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (8 ounce) can pizza sauce
6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) shredded provolone cheese
1 (7.25 ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained & chopped
1/4 cup chopped ripe olives

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray. In large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, basil, eggs garlic, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of the pizza sauce; mix well.

On large piece of foil, shape ground beef mixture into 12 x 10 inch rectangle. Top with provolone cheese, roasted peppers and olives, distributing evenly up to 1/2 inch of edges. Starting from 10-inch side, lift up the edge of the aluminum foil to roll the meat loaf up jelly roll fashion. Seal dges well. Transfer and place seam side down in foil-lined pan.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes. Remove meat loaf from oven. Spoon remaining pizza sauce over loaf and bake an additional 15 - 20 minutes or until loaf is thoroughly cooked in center and meet thermometer registers 160 degrees F. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.


*I usually substitute 1 pound ground beef & 1 pound sausage for the 1 1/2 pounds ground beef.

Glazed Meat Loaf

from Cook's Illustrated (Fall Entertaining 2008 & another issue that I can't find right now)

Most meat loaves call for a combination of beef, pork and veal. In this recipe, the geniuses at Cook's Illustrated went for an all beef version.

The first time making it seems a little too complicated for meat loaf... but the hard work pays off. It's delicious. And after making it a couple of times, it's actually pretty easy.

Meat Loaf

3 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, crated on small holes of box grater (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1 medium celery rib, chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup tomato juice
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2/3 cup crushed saltine crackers
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound ground sirloin
1 pound ground chuck

Glaze
(I usually make extra glaze to serve on the side.)
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (i.e. Tabasco)
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

Oven: 375 F

Spread grated cheese on plate (or baking sheet) and place in freezer until ready to use

Heat butter in skillet over medium-high heat until foaming; add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and paprika and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and add tomato juice. Cook, stirring to scrape up browned bits from pan, until thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to small bowl and set aside to cool.

While onion mixture is cooking, whisk together broth and eggs in large bowl until combined. Sprinkle gelatin over liquid and let stand at least 5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, mustard, crushed saltines, parsley, salt, pepper and onion mixture. Crumble frozen cheese into coarse powder and sprinkle over mixture. Add ground beef; mix gently with hands until thoroughly combined (but not paste-like).

This is the point where I stray (enough to write about) from the published recipe.

You can bake it as one large meatloaf, or you can do like me and split it in 2 loaves. I find this works so much better for the size of my family. I can then freeze one of them if need be.

I bake mine on my broiler pan. If you do not have a broiler pan, you do as Cook's Illustrated suggests and cook it on aluminum foil that is placed on a cooling rack with holes poked in it and place that on a baking sheet. That all seems a little complicated to me when I have a broiler pan so handy. The point is to let some of the grease drain away from the loaf (loaves).



Okay - back to our regularly scheduled recipe...

Bake 55-65 minutes (until center of loaf reads 135-140 degrees). Remove meat loaf from oven and turn on broiler.

While meat loaf cooks, combine ketchup, hot pepper sauce, coriander, vinegar and brown sugar in small sauce pan; bring to simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring, until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Spread half of glaze evenly over cooked meat loaf with rubber spatula; place under broiler and cook until glaze bubbles and begins to brown at edges, about 5 minutes. Remove meat loaf from oven and spread even with remaining glaze; place back under broiler and cook until glaze is again bubbling and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes more.

Let meat loaf cool about 20 minutes before slicing and serving.