Friday, June 13, 2008

Osso Buco with Risotto Milanese

Osso Buco


jump to the new blog for more risotto

Osso Buco
Adapted from Marcella Hazan (Below is the full recipe with minor changes, I scaled the recipe down to roughly 1/3 since I was only cooking 2 shanks)

6 - 8 veal shanks
Salt and pepper
Flour
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 Tbsp butter
1 C diced onion
2/3 C diced carrot
2/3 C diced celery
1 C dry white wine
2 strips lemon zest
1 C chicken stock
1 1/2 C tomatoes in juices
1/4 tsp dried thyme or 1 tsp fresh
2 bay leaves
3 - 4 parsley sprigs

Gremolada
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp finely minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced Italian parsley

Some notes from Marcella Hazan:
- Veal shanks are best no thicker than 1 1/2 inches, otherwise they will not cook evenly.
- Do not remove the white skin/membrane around shank, it adds flavor and creaminess to the dish
- Give yourself enough time to allow the osso buco to cook slowly and gently. It's not something you can rush.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Tie each shank tightly with a piece of twine to prevent them from falling apart during cooking.

Flour both sides of the veal shank and pat off the excess. Heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sear the shanks on both sides until a brown crust forms, remove to a plate and set aside.

Turn down the heat to medium and add 4 tablespoons of butter to the Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until the vegetables have softened. Add the wine and cook until it no longer smells alcoholic. Nestle the shanks back into the
vegetables. Add the lemon zest, chicken stock, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and parsley. Bring the contents to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the oven.

Let it cook in the oven for about 2 - 3 hours or until the shanks are fork tender. Baste the shanks by spooning the cooking liquid over them every 20 - 30 minutes. If the pot is getting too dry, add a few tablespoons of water.

Optional step (it wasn't in the cookbook but this is what I did): After the shanks are done, carefully remove them from the pot and set aside on a plate. Puree the contents in the pot (the veggies and braising liquid) in a blender/food processor/immersion blender for a more uniform sauce.

Serve the osso buco over risotto milanese or polenta. Carefully snip the twine around the shank and spoon the sauce over it. Top with a spoonful of the gremolada (which I skipped in the picture).


Risotto Milanese
Adapted from Marcella Hazan

1 Tbsp olive oil (I used bacon fat)
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 medium onion, finely diced
1 C Arborio or Carnaroli rice
A small pinch of saffron threads (I used about 6 - 10?)
1/4 C hot water
1/4 C dry white wine
2 - 3 C chicken stock
1 Tbsp cold butter
1/3 C grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Note:
- Do not rinse the rice, the starches on the outside of the grains is what makes the risotto creamy.
- The chicken stock must be hot when you add it to the rice, so keep it in a saucepan on low heat on the stove while you're cooking.
- Add the saffron threads to the hot water and let it infuse.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the rice and cook until the rice is coated with fat and starts to turn translucent around the edges.

Lower the heat to medium low, add the wine and cook while stirring until
the wine has been absorbed.

Add one cup of the chicken stock, keeping it at a simmer, and cook uncovered while stirring constantly until almost all of the liquid as absorbed. After this point add the chicken stock about 1/3 cup at a time. Keep it at a low simmer, and cook the rice while stirring constantly.

About 15 minutes in, after the chicken stock has been absorbed, add the saffron
water (threads too) and continue to cook and stir. If you start running low on
chicken stock, go ahead and use hot water.

Continue adding ladlefuls of broth, waiting until each addition has been almost absorbed before adding the next, cook while constantly stirring until the rice has is al dente, fully cooked but still retains a chew in the center.

Take off heat and stir in a tablespoon of cold butter and grated Parmigiano.


13 comments:

Anonymous said...

This looks really good. I make Osso Bucco periodically, but veal is almost impossible to find so I have to cheat and use beef shanks. It is still good tho' Hope you enjoyed it. I posted mine on my web.

Unknown said...

Saffron is a pain. I have always steeped it in whatever warm liquid I will be using (water, chicken stock etc..) for at least 10 minutes before adding it to the dish. And I have always used more than what is called for. If you want to use it more for colouring than taste, I recommend using turmeric instead for that saffron yellow.
Using lamb shanks for osso buco is great too, it keeps the cost down and the flavor is outstanding.

Wandering Chopsticks said...

I second the suggestion of adding saffron threads to a small bowl of warm water. I bought saffron from Trader Joe's as well when I made Persian sour cherry rice and the smell was lovely. It's sort of a honey/floral scent. I was going to use turmeric instead but decided to splurge. Just a few threads really do make a big difference.

Anonymous said...

Saffron is interesting because its flavor isn't really identifiable (or even appealing) until you add it to a dish. It's basically a flavor/color enhancer. I bet if you had made the same dish without it you would have noticed, even if you wouldn't have been able to figure out exactly what was different. One thing I've done (similar to what connie and wandering chopsticks said) is to let the saffron threads steep in a cup of stock, which is then the first cup of stock I add to the risotto. I also typically use Trader Joe's saffron (for the sake of cost), but I recommend using a bigger pinch since it's just not as potent as the high quality stuff. Hope that helps!

Anonymous said...

The risotto milanese recipe is perfect for me! I have been looking for a way to use this new saffron and arborio rice I bought! Thanks!

Anonymous said...

that looks heavenly. if it weren't 90 degrees with 1000% humidity here, i'd be running out the get the ingredients for dinner tomorrow. alas, i'll have to wait until the fall.

RecipeGirl said...

This just looks great. I've not attempted Osso Bucco yet, but it's something I'd like to try. Maybe I'll save it for some sort of special occasion.

Amy said...

tealady,
I'll have to try it with beef or lamb shanks sometime and make a shortcut orzo risotto. :)

Connie,
I really want to try using lamb shanks, I've seen them go for $3/lb at my local store, which is quite the steal! As for saffron, I tried cooking with it again and used a little more. The flavor was more apparently but I still wasn't seriously impressed. Oh well. :|

WC,
I think I'll try using more when I make the sour cherry rice. I steeped them in hot water but I think next time I'll crumble the threads with my fingers. I was afraid to touch them the first time. :P

Anonymous,
I made another saffron dish and the flavor was much more apparent. I was in TJs yesterday and noticed their saffron is now $6! It was $4 when I bought mine. :((

Hillary,
It was a fabulous risotto. Hope you like it. :)

Michelle,
Oh gosh, Seattle is still stuck in winter I'm afraid. There hasn't been a single completely sunny day so far this month. I'm about ready to give up on this "summer" business here. :(

Recipegirl,
It would be a lovely dish for a special occasion. :)

gaga said...

I'm with you on saffron, I made paella with it and really didn't see the point in using it over turmeric. I bloomed it in warm water and everything, but didn't taste or smell anything in particular.

Your osso bucco on the other hand looks heavenly. Great job!

Unknown said...

I am so impressed! Reading this recipe sent a shiver down my spine, it sounds so incredibly intimidating. What made you decide to tackle Osso Buco with Risotto Milanese? I need to start branching out a little, thanks for the inspiration.

Coffee and Vanilla said...

Hi,

I came across this site recently, they hijacked continent from many blogs and now also your photos are there:
http://www.easyfastfood.com

I thought you would want to know.

Cia, Margot

Anonymous said...

If your saffron didn't taste good try two things. 1. Get some Kashmiri saffron, check out Baby Brand Saffron, I order it online for much less money than what you would pay at the grocery and it's significantly better than Spanish saffron. 2. Use a lot more than 6-8 threads, for two cups of cooked rice I would use about a hundred threads or one teaspoon packed full with your thumb on top...basically a lot or saffron.

Lizzy said...

Thanks for posting this recipe. In the 1990s, I regularly cooked Osso Bucco with Risotto Milanese and used Marcella's recipes. As an appetizer, I made stuffed artichokes with each leaf cut and stuffed with a mixture of freshly grated breadcrumbs, freshly grated Locatelli romano cheese, mashed up stems of the artichoke, garlic, pine nuts and parsley.

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