Recipe Box: Spring 2008

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

APPETIZERS

Greg's Osso Bucco

Recipes from Le Creuset

Le Creuset Piece: Round Ovens sizes 2 qt - 131⁄4 qt
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Main Ingredient: Vegetables--All
Cooking Time: 1.5 Hours
Course: Appetizer
Servings: 6-8

INGREDIENTS
4 Tbsp butter
11⁄2 cups chopped onion
11⁄2 cups chopped carrots
11⁄2 cups chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, mashed
6-7 lbs. veal shank, sawed into 8 pieces, each 21⁄2" long, tied with string in the middle
1⁄2 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
Flour for dredging veal
1⁄2 cup olive oil
1⁄2 cup marsala wine
4-6 cups beef stock
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1⁄2 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
8 parsley sprigs
1 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Use large Lecreuset saute/fry pan & 71⁄2 qt. Le Creuset French oven.

1.Melt butter in large saute pan over medium heat & add chopped carrots, onions, celery & garlic. Cook for 8-10 min. until vegetables are lightly colored & remove from pan into separate bowl. Set aside.

2.Season the pieces of veal shank with salt & pepper then dredge in flour & shake off excess. Add 3 Tbsp. olive oil in same pan & heat to medium high until haze forms over it. Brown the veal 4 or 5 pieces at a time, adding more oil as needed.

3.Remove veal from pan and discard almost all fat from pan. Add white wine to deglaze the pan over med. high heat making sure to scrape any brown bits & dissolve into wine. Reduce liquid to 1⁄2 its volume.

4.Now stir in the beef stock, marsala wine, thyme & bay leaves and bring to a boil. Make starch mixture, add to mixture stirring until thickened. Add 1⁄2 tsp salt. Grind Pepper to taste.

5.Oil the French oven, add the cooked vegetables on the bottom and place the browned veal on top standing the shanks up side-by-side. Pour stock mixture over veal and make sure it comes over top of veal. If not, add more beef stock.

6.Cover French oven and bake in lower rack of oven at 400°F for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F. and in about 11⁄2 hours the veal should be fork tender. Remove from oven and let pan rest for 15 minutes while preparing to serve side dish.

7. NOTE: Osso Bucco is traditionally served with risotto alla milanese or buttered egg noodles with parmesan cheese. Place 1 veal shank on plate and spoon vegetables & gravy over it. Add risoto or noodles and garnish with parsley.