Osso Buco and Brussels Sprouts Lardons

I watched a Dr. Oz show yesterday that said that if you don’t cheat on your diet, you will never stay on it.  He gave three people $100 to go gather the items they were missing.  I’ve never seen so much garbage food in my life.  They were cheating with prude junk food.  The following is my idea of cheating.  I was served this at my friend Fran’s house and she was gracious enough to share her recipe.  It is a winner and serves 4.  It is a great dish to make ahead for dinner guests as it takes a long time in the oven.  Jim serves a great Pinot Noir, limited selection, from Gainey Vineyard

Ingredients:  

3 T canola oil

¼ C all-purpose flour

2 T kosher salt

2 t freshly ground black pepper

4 veal shanks, tied to secure meat to bone

1 C dried porcini mushrooms (3/4 oz)

1 dried bay leaf

1 sprig fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh thyme

3 fresh sage leaves

3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

Zest of half a lemon or orange, cut into long strips, pith removed

10 whole black pepper corns

2 medium carrots, chopped very small*

1 celery stalk, strings removed, chopped very small*

1 medium onion, cut into the same very small pieces*

*you can use your food processor if you do not like chopping

2 canned plum tomatoes, crushed

1 ½ C dry white wine (I used last night’s left over wine)

1 ¼ C veal or beef stock

Directions:

1.      Preheat the oven to 275 degrees with a rack centered. 

2.      In a 7 qt. ovenproof casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the canola oil until hot but not smoking. 

3.      In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and pepper.  Coat each veal shank well with the seasoned flour; tap off the excess.

4.      Working in batches if necessary to keep the veal shanks from touching at all, add the shanks (they should sizzle the moment they hit the pan).  Cook until well browned on all sides, 10-15 minutes or in the case of this house the entire kitchen is filled with smoke. 

5.      Remove the veal shanks from the casserole; set aside on a plate. 

6.      Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl, and cover with very hot water.  Let stand until the mushrooms are soft, about 20 minutes.  Strain the mushrooms through a fine sieve, reserving ½ C of the soaking liquid.  (If you do not have a super fine strainer, use a coffee filter.

7.      Tie the bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley, zest, and peppercorns in a small piece of cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni. 

8.      Add the carrots, celery, and onion to the casserole; cook until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. 

9.      Add the tomatoes, wine, stock, mushrooms and soaking liquid, and bouquet garni. 

10.  Return the browned shanks to the casserole; stir gently to combine. 

11.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven; cook until the meat is very tender, about 2 ½ hours.  Check occasionally to ensure a gentle simmer; adjust the heat as needed. 

12.   Transfer the shanks to a platter, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. 

13.  Place the casserole over medium heat; simmer until the sauce is thickened about 15 minutes.  You can return the shanks to the casserole jut to heat and coat with sauce.  Serve hot.

Traditionally this is served with Risotto.  You have 2 ½ hours so it would be easy to attend to the rice.  However, I just made plain Rose’s rice.  Rose’s rice is plump and a little sticky so it works. 

I used my time making Brussels sprouts from Barefoot in Paris.  I divided this recipe in half as Jim is not as much a fan of the sprout as I am.  He said he like these.  Serves 8. 

Ingredients:

2 T EVOO

6 oz Italian pancetta or bacon, ¼” diced

1 ½ # Brussels sprouts (2 containers), trimmed and cut in half

¾ t kosher salt ( I skipped  because my chicken broth was not home made

¾ t freshly ground black pepper

¾ C golden raisins

1 ¾ C homemade chicken stock

Directions:

1.      Heat EVOO in a 12” sauté pan and add the pancetta.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the fat is rendered and the pancetta is golden brown and crisp, 5-10 minutes.  Remove the pancetta to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. 

2.      Add the sprouts, salt and pepper to the fat in the pan and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. 

3.      Add the raisins and chicken stock. 

4.      Lower the heat and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.  If the skillet becomes too dry, add a little more stock or water. 

5.      Return pancetta to pan, heat through, season to taste, and serve.