Braised Veal Shanks With Fava Bean Puree Food

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS WITH FAVA BEAN PUREE

Steps:

• To make the veal, heat the olive oil in a large, deep, heavy-bottom skillet. Add the veal shanks and cook until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the shanks from the skillet and set aside. Add the garlic and shallots and cook, stirring constantly, until browned, about 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
• Return the shanks to the pan and pour in the broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer slowly for 1 hour. Add the carrots. Continue cooking until the meat is very tender, about 1 hour more. Remove the shanks from the skillet. Increase the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley, salt and pepper and return the shanks to the skillet. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
• Meanwhile, to make the puree, place the fava beans in a medium-size saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the liquid. Place the beans in a food processor. Add 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, the cream and the olive oil. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Place 1 shank on each of 4 plates and spoon the sauce over. Divide the puree among the plates and sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately.

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS WITH WHITE BEAN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a kettle heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and the butter over moderately high heat until the foam subsides, in the fat brown the veal shanks, and transfer them to a plate. Pour off the fat from the kettle, add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, and in it cook the onion, the carrot, the celery, the garlic, the bay leaves, and salt and pepper to taste over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened. Return the shanks to the kettle, add the thyme, 5 of the parsley sprigs, the zest, the beans, the tomatoes, the wine, and the broth, and bring the liquid to a boil. Braise the mixture, covered, in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven, basting the shanks every 30 minutes, for 2 hours, transfer the shanks with a slotted spoon to a plate, and keep them warm, covered. Discard the thyme sprigs and the bay leaves and in a blender or food processor puree the vegetable mixture in batches. (For a chunky sauce, purée half the vegetable mixture and stir the purée into the remaining vegetable mixture.)
• Serve the veal shanks topped with the sauce and sprinkled with the gremolata. Garnish each serving with an additional parsley sprig.
• Make the gremolata.
• In a small bowl stir together the parsley, the zest, and the garlic.

WHOLE BRAISED VEAL SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• On a cutting board, use the side of your chef's knife to smash together the chopped garlic and the rosemary to make a coarse paste. Cut several deep holes in the veal shanks with a paring knife-really stab them! Using your index finger, stuff the holes with the rosemary-garlic mixture; this will perfume the shanks with a beautiful aroma while they braise.
• Season the shanks generously with salt. Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil and bring to high heat. Add the shanks to the pan and brown well on all sides; this may take up to 20 minutes. Don't skimp on this step-this is where the big, rich, brown flavors start to develop, so take your time!
• While the shanks are browning, put the onions, carrots, celery, apples, and the remaining 3 cloves of smashed garlic in a food processor and purée to a coarse paste; reserve.
• When the shanks are very brown, transfer them to a roasting pan. Ditch the fat, add a bit of fresh olive oil, and add the puréed veggies and apples to the sauté pan. Season generously with salt and cook until the mixture is very brown and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Again, don't skimp here-you want the veggies to form a crust on the bottom of the pan. This is where more of that lovely brown flavor develops, so take your time.
• Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the wine, bring it to a boil (BTB), and stir frequently until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Then transfer everything to the roasting pan with the shanks. Add about 1/2 cup water to the sauté pan to help release any of that good crud stuck to the bottom, then add it to the roasting pan.
• Add 4 to 5 more cups water to the roasting pan and stir to combine; the mix should be pretty soupy. Taste and add more salt if needed, then toss in the bay leaves and the thyme bundle.
• Put the pan in the oven and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, turning the shanks every 30 minutes, stirring and adding more water if the liquid reduces too much. If the shanks brown too much during the cooking time, tent the pan with aluminum foil. When the shanks are done they should be incredibly tender and flavorful.

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS

Steps:

• Make stew:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 350°F.
• Bring demiglace to a simmer in a 1-quart saucepan over moderate heat. Remove from heat and keep warm, partially covered.
• Pat shanks dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge shanks in flour to coat, shaking off excess. Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart wide heavy ovenproof pot over moderately high heat until just smoking, then brown shanks on all sides, about 10 minutes total, and transfer with tongs to a plate. Add butter to pot and heat until foam subsides, then sauté onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 9 minutes.
• Add wine, scraping up any brown bits, then add warm demiglace, tomatoes, and bay leaf. Return shanks (with any juices accumulated on plate) to pot and bring liquid to a boil, then cover pot and braise shanks in oven until meat is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Carefully transfer shanks with a slotted spoon to a clean plate and keep warm, loosely covered with foil. Skim fat from sauce, then simmer, uncovered, on top of stove, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper and add shanks, then cook over low heat until heated through. (Discard strings and bay leaf before serving.)
• Make gremolata:
• Stir together parsley, zest, rosemary, and thyme and sprinkle over osso buco just before serving.
• *Available at specialty foods shops and cooking.com.

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS

Steps:

• Make shanks:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pat shanks dry. Stir together flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper on a sheet of wax paper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. While oil heats, dredge 4 shanks in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Brown shanks in oil on all sides, turning with tongs, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large (17- by 12- by 2-inch) roasting pan. Add 2 tablespoons oil to skillet and repeat with remaining 4 shanks. Discard remaining flour mixture.
• Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to skillet and cook onion, garlic, anchovies, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add wine and boil, scraping up any brown bits, until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, water, zest strips, and remaining teaspoon salt and bring to a boil, then pour mixture over shanks. Tightly cover pan with foil and braise in oven 1 hour. Turn shanks over, cover, and continue to braise until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours more.
• Remove from oven and skim fat from surface of sauce, then transfer shanks and sauce to a large platter. Discard bay leaves.
• Make gremolata:
• Stir together parsley, grated zests, and garlic and sprinkle over shanks.

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH WHITE BEAN PUREE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season shanks with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Put 3 shanks in the pan and brown well on all sides. Transfer shanks to a large roasting pan. Repeat with remaining shanks, adding oil if needed.
• Put garlic, onion, celery and carrot in the pan. Cook 30 seconds. Add half the wine and deglaze the pan. Add the vegetable-wine mixture to the roasting pan. Add the remaining ingredients. Put the roasting pan on a burner and bring to a simmer. (Shanks should be almost covered with liquid; if necessary, add water.) Cover with aluminum foil. Put in oven and bake until meat is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Remove shanks from liquid and keep warm. Strain liquid through a fine sieve into a large saucepan. Degrease. Simmer until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Put shanks over a mound of bean puree and top with sauce.