Osso Bucco

The Market at Granville

When I visited Vancouver last month, I had the chance to visit Granville Island. Well actually, I went a few times. I mean, how can you visit Vancouver without shopping for great food at Granville Island? Anyway, my last day there I picked up some fresh veal. I bought some loin, a little bit of tenderloin and eight large pieces of veal shank. I rushed the meat home to my sons’ apartment, wrapped it in a couple layers of newspaper and stored it in the coldest part of the fridge. The next morning when I packed my bag for my trip home, in went the chilled meat, surrounded by my clothes and whatever else I picked up this trip. When you live in Yellowknife, you learn a few tricks about what to buy and transport safely back to the great white north.

Veal in the bag, waiting to turn into Osso Bucco

 One of my favourite dishes of all time is Osso Bucco. I think I first had it when I worked at Waldens way back when I was still an apprentice. I was so impressed with how soft and rich the meat was after it’s long braise in the oven. And the flavour the sauce picks up from the meat and bones is simply incredible. I thought perhaps I would try some radical new flavour blend for this Osso Bucco but in the end I went with the traditional recipe and served it with Braised Fennel and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes. Simple sides for a very rustic and homey dish. Some cooks leave the sauce just as it is when it comes out of the pan but I chose to puree the sauce to make a nice smooth gravy. The fennel seed I added to it gave it a nice touch and went well with the braised fennel.

Full meal deal.

I also tried to heighten the flavour of the meat by marinating it under a vacuum seal overnight. I’m not sure if it helped the dish but it sure didn’t hurt it! (I’ll be using the vacuum seal technique in the future as I explore cooking ‘sous vide’) I cooked the Osso Bucco one day then served it the next. This also helped intensify the flavour by allowing the veal to rest in its braising liquid over night.

Overall, this was a great meal. A great warming meal for those cold, 40 below nights in Yellowknife. Surprisingly enough, it did have a little veal leftover. I have the perfect idea for it though and you’ll see that coming up in a future blog.

Osso Bucco

Osso Bucco

Zest of 1 orange

1 onion, julienne

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp thyme, fresh

1 tsp cracked peppercorn

1 cup olive oil

8 large pieces veal shank

3 cups chicken stock

3 tbsp flour

1 tbsp northern smoke spice (or any seasoning salt)

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 carrot, diced

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup white wine

1cup diced tomato

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp fennel seeds

2 sprigs fresh thyme

salt and pepper

Mix the zest, the onion, garlic, thyme and peppercorn with the olive oil. (for the zest in this recipe, peel the orange with a peeler, trying to take only the top layer of skin, then cut them in very thin julienne strips)

Spread the mixture all over the veal shank and place them in a zip lock bag. Remove as much air as possible and store in the fridge overnight.

Remove the marinated veal shanks from the bag, scraping off as much of the marinade as possible. Add the marinade ingredients to the chicken stock, place it on medium heat and bring it to a simmer.

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat.

Mix the seasoning salt and flour together. Dry the veal shanks then dip them in the flour. Add the floured veal to the hot pan and cook until they are brown. Turn the veal over and repeat on the other side. Remove the veal from the pan and place in a roasting pan just large enough to hold them.

Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic to the pan and sauté until slightly cooked. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and bring that to a simmer. Add the tomatoes, fennel seeds and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Add the vegetables and wine to the veal. Pour the chicken stock mixture over the veal, straining out the onion and zest.

Cover the pan with foil and place it in the oven. Cook for about 2 hours, just until the meat becomes tender and pulls away from the bone.

Remove the cooked veal shanks from the pan and puree the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper, top with Gremolata, below, and serve.

Gremolata

½ cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves

½ cup fennel fronds

1 clove garlic, minced

Zest from 1 orange and 1 lemon, minced fine

Mince the parsley, fennel fronds, garlic and lemon and orange zest, mixing them together. Sprinkle this mixture over the finished Osso Bucco.