Osso bucco with risotto milanese.

As anti kill and eat poor baby cows as I am, I am very pro meat being so tender that it falls of the bone and melts in your mouth......

Moral dilemma. What else is new?

osso bucco with risotto milanese.

Ingredients:

Veal shank

Onion

Celery

Carrots

Garlic

Tomato paste

Flour

Tomato- seeded and sliced

Orange zest

White wine

Veal stock

Thyme

Bay leaf

Olive oil

Butter

Salt and pepper

Method:

Heat oil in large dutch oven (Le Creuset, duh.) Sear both sides of the veal shank and set aside. In the same pot saute the onion, carrot, and celery until they begin to color. Add garlic and saute for 2  minutes. Dust ingredients with flour and cook another 2-3 minutes. Stir well. Add tomatoes and cook until the liquid evaporates. Add orange zest and then deglaze the pan with white wine. Reduce the wine, add herbs, and return the veal to the pot. Add enough stock to almost cover the meat. Cover and braise until soft (2-3 hours)

While the veal is braising you can make the risotto milanase. 

Ingredients:

Italian arborrio rice

Bone marrow (optional, but delicious)

Warm chicken stock

Onion- finely chopped

White wine

Saffron

Butter

Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Method:

Heat oil in pan. Add bone marrow and cook over low heat until melted. You can use butter instead of bone marrow and somewhere a European with a better palate than you will cry. 

Sweat the onion until it is soft. Add the rice and cook until opaque. Add white wine and saffron. Turn the heat up to medium high and cook until all of the wine has been absorbed. Add some chicken stock and stir the rice consistently until the liquid is completely absorbed. Repeat this step a few more times until the rice is 'al dente'  and the consistency is creamy, but not sticky. Finish the risotto with butter and parmesan cheese before serving. 

Back to the Osso Bucco....

Remove the dutch oven from the heat. Set the veal shank aside and strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer. If possible, push some of the veggies through for added flavor. Reduce the liquid in a medium saucepan until 'nappe' Finish with butter and season. 

Return the shank to the sauce and serve with risotto. 

I topped mine with chopped parsley, garlic, and lemon zest.