Osso Buco with Fennel, Orange Salad

Osso buco is a Milanese specialty and Italians certainly know what to do with tougher cuts of meat such as veal shanks- to braise them, of course! Italy, the land of excellent red wines-Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, Montepulciano and Chianti Classico, to name a few, are all great choice for developing a deliciously rich braising sauce. You see, I always get in trouble here for opening an expensive bottle of wine my husband was reserving for special occasions (he is a serious oenophile and I am an expert cook, let's leave it at that). So don't repeat my faux pas and pick something reasonable but still a good quality medium to full-bodied wine you can enjoy later with dinner. I am a big believer that great wine for braising meat is a game changer, it enhances meat's flavor and produces more velvety sauce. Next step is sofrito and I am not being very technical here, I just didn't know how to label my finely chopped vegetables otherwise. If short on time, use chopped veggies as they are instead of pulsing them in a food processor, just cook them for 8-10 minutes in rendered bacon fat to soften. My secret weapon is harissa sauce, it's chunky and very spicy. In fact, it is so spicy, I altered the recipe to one tablespoon of it but if you family is up for a nice spicy meal, you can certainly add another one (at your own risk, please!). Then goes the wine, shanks and stock. Cook them slow and low for two hours, until the meat is fell-off-the-bone tender. My serving suggestions are mashed potatoes & roasted asparagus (quick recipe included) plus something to revive the meat that was cooked for so long- fresh fennel and orange salad. Enjoy!

Ingredients: veal shanks, flour, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, harissa sauce, wine, low-sodium chicken stock, bacon, rosemary, thyme, fennel, orange, radish, parsley, asparagus, potatoes, EVOO, vegetable oil, salt, pepper.

For the meat: Season shanks with salt and pepper generously on both sides.

Drench meat in flour and shake extra flour off.

Heat a large pan on medium heat for 1 minute, add oil and sear shanks two at a time for about 3-4 minutes on each side, until browned. Set aside.

Chop celery, carrot, onion roughly. Peel garlic and ginger.

For the vegetables: Place chopped vegetables and garlic into a food processor.

Pulse until well chopped.

Add grated ginger and season with salt.

Chop bacon rashers.

Heat 10’’ Dutch oven over medium heat, add bacon and cook stirring often for 5 minutes.

Until bacon pieces are golden. Kitchen tip: If you want to make this recipe kosher, omit bacon all together, use vegetable oil instead.

Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with paper towel.

Cook vegetables in rendered bacon fat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until their juices evaporate completely.

If you like food spicy, add my favorite harissa sauce and mix it with vegetable sofrito, cook another 2 minutes.

Open a decent bottle of medium to full-bodied wine, you only need a cup, and the rest- enjoy at dinner with this incredible hearty meal!

Pour wine into the pot and season with salt. Let the wine reduce in half.

Add veal shanks to the pot.

And pour in the broth.

Scatter half of cooked bacon pieces on top (eat the rest:).

Put herbs into the pot as well. Cover with a lid and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours on medium-low heat. Turn shanks once half way through the cooking. The sauce should reduce in half, increase the heat at the end to promote its reduction faster.

To make fennel salad: Shave fennel and few radishes very thinly using mandoline slicer or kitchen knife.

Transfer both to a bowl and squeeze a lemon right away to stop fennel from browning.

Zest an orange first, then segment it by cutting off the bottom and top of it.  Using a paring knife carefully cut away rind in strips.

Remove any remaining white pith.

Working over the bowl, slice into fruit along each membrane letting supremes fall into the bowl. Squeeze all the juices from the remaining membrane over the bowl.

Chop parsley finely.

Drizzle the salad with olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, add parsley and reserved fennel fronds, mix to combine. Set aside.

As a side dish- roasted asparagus. Hold asparagus bunch with your hand, take a big knife and cut off 2'' inches of its base, then shave 2 '' inches along each spear with a vegetable peeler. Thus, you always insure tender results. Place asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle lightly with olive oil, season generously with salt and pepper. Roast at 425F for 8-10 minutes.

Once osso buco is cooked, open the lid and scatter 1 teaspoon of  chopped parsley and orange zest over it.

To serve, scoop mashed potatoes onto each plate, top with braised veal shank. Spoon braised sauce over the meat and potatoes. Place a spoonful of fennel salad on top of each shank, season with flaky sea salt. Add roasted asparagus spears.

Serve this dish hot with the remaining red wine!

 

Bon Appétit!

Svitlana