Monk Fish Osso Buco With Brown Rice English Peas Food

OSSO BUCO

Steps:

• Place the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and cloves into cheesecloth and secure with twine. This will be your bouquet garni.
• For the veal shanks, pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Veal shanks will brown better when they are dry. Secure the meat to the bone with the kitchen twine. Season each shank with salt and freshly ground pepper. Dredge the shanks in flour, shaking off excess.
• In a large Dutch oven pot, heat vegetable oil until smoking. Add tied veal shanks to the hot pan and brown all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove browned shanks and reserve.
• In the same pot, add the onion, carrot and celery. Season with salt at this point to help draw out the moisture from the vegetables. Saute until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Return browned shanks to the pan and add the white wine and reduce liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Add the bouquet garni and 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Check every 15 minutes, turning shanks and adding more chicken stock as necessary. The level of cooking liquid should always be about 3/4 the way up the shank.
• Carefully remove the cooked shanks from the pot and place in decorative serving platter. Cut off the kitchen twine and discard.
• Remove and discard bouquet garni from the pot.
• Pour all the juices and sauce from the pot over the shanks. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest.

EAST LIGHTENS OSSO BUCO OVEN ROASTED MONK FISH 'OSSO BUCO' WITH HERB WHIPPED POTATOES

Steps:

• In a non-reactive saucepan coated with olive oil, saute the onion, celery, and carrots and garlic until caramelized. Add tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes. Deglaze with white wine, and reduce the liquid by half. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, soy sauce, lemon grass, orange juice, and chicken stock. Reduce by a third, and check for seasoning. Strain the sauce and set aside. Season the monkfish with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Sear the fish over high heat in olive oil, using a pan large enough that the fish is not overcrowded. The fish is just cooked long enough to evenly brown the outside, about 2 minutes on each side. Pour off as much oil as possible. Deglaze with the vinegars. Add the reserved sauce, using just enough to cover the fish half way. Add the Mushrooms and cover. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven until the fish is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and add the butter and lemon juice. Check again for seasoning.
• For the potatoes: Place the potatoes and garlic in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, and add enough salt to flavor the water. Boil for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Strain potatoes and place in a mixer fitted with wire whip. Whip at low speed, incorporating butter slowly. Increase the speed to lighten the potatoes and increase their volume. Check for seasoning, and set aside. Right before serving, mix the chopped herbs into the potatoes.
• To make a gremolata, combine the parsley, garlic and lemon zest. Set aside, and reserve for plating.
• For the mushrooms: Saute mushrooms with garlic and ginger in 1 tablespoon of olive oil over high heat, until caramelized, about 3 minutes. Add sauteed mushrooms from below to the sauce. Check for seasoning.
• Plating: Place a serving of potatoes in the middle of a large bowl. Place the fish on top of the potatoes, and spoon the sauce and mushrooms around it. Garnish with gremolata.

TRADITIONAL OSSO BUCO

Steps:

• Dust the veal shanks lightly with flour. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the veal, and cook until browned on the outside. Remove to a bowl, and keep warm. Add two cloves of crushed garlic and onion to the skillet; cook and stir until onion is tender. Return the veal to the pan and mix in the carrot and wine. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Pour in the tomatoes and beef stock, and season with salt and pepper. Cover, and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, basting the veal every 15 minutes or so. The meat should be tender, but not falling off the bone.
• In a small bowl, mix together the parsley, 1 clove of garlic and lemon zest. Sprinkle the gremolata over the veal just before serving.

VEAL OSSO BUCO WITH SAFFRON RISOTTO, ENGLISH PEAS, AND PEA SHOOTS

Steps:

• Season the veal shanks with the garlic, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon thyme, and rosemary. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
• Take the veal shanks out of the refrigerator an hour before cooking, to bring them to room temperature. After 30 minutes, season the shanks on all sides with 3 tablespoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Reserve the garlic and any excess herbs.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 3 minutes. Pour in the olive oil and wait a minute or two, until the pan is very hot, almost smoking. Place the shanks in the pot, and sear until caramelized and nicely browned on all sides. Depending on the size of your pan, you will probably have to sear the meat in batches. (Do not crowd the meat or get lazy or rushed with this step. It's very important that the meat sear to a deep golden brown on all sides; this will take a good 15 to 20 minutes.) When the shanks are nicely browned, transfer them to a braising pan. They should sit flat, bones standing up, in one layer.
• Turn the heat down to medium, and add the onion, carrot, celery, sage sprigs, and reserved garlic and herbs. Stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up all the crusty bits in the pan. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the vegetables just begin to caramelize. Stir in the tomatoes and cook a few more minutes. Add the vermouth, turn the heat to high, and reduce the liquid by half.
• Add the stock and bring to a boil. Pour the liquid over the shanks, scraping any of the vegetables that fall on the meat back into the liquid. The stock mixture should almost cover the shanks (if not, add a little more stock or water). Tuck the parsley sprigs in the broth around the shanks. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid if you have one. Braise in the oven about 3 hours.
• To check the meat for doneness, carefully remove the lid and foil (watch out for the hot steam), and pierce one of the shanks with a paring knife. When the meat is done, it will yield easily. Taste a piece if you are not sure.
• Turn the oven up to 400°F.
• Carefully transfer the veal shanks to a baking sheet and return them to the oven to brown 10 to 15 minutes.
• Strain the broth into a saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables with a ladle to extract all the juices. Skim the fat from the braising juices. If necessary, reduce the broth over medium-high heat about 5 minutes, to thicken slightly. Taste for seasoning.
• Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the butter, and when it foams, add the peas. Turn the heat down to low, and sauté the peas gently about 3 minutes, shaking the pan a few times. Add the shallots, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Stir to combine, and cook a few minutes, until the shallots are soft and translucent.
• Add 1/2 cup water and turn the heat up to medium. Cook a minute or so, until the peas are just tender. Turn off the heat and toss in the pea shoots.
• Arrange the veal shanks on a large warm platter. Ladle lots of the braising juices over the meat. Spoon the sauté of peas and pea shoots on top. Serve a bowl of saffron risotto and the remaining braising juices on the side.
• Saffron Risotto
• Toast the saffron threads in a small pan over medium heat, just until they dry and become brittle. Pound the saffron in a mortar to a fine powder. Add half the butter, and use a rubber spatula to incorporate it.
• Bring the chicken stock and 3 1/2 cups water to a boil over high heat. Turn off the heat.
• Meanwhile, heat a medium heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in the saffron butter, and when it foams, add the onion, thyme, chile, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grindings of black pepper. Sauté about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the rice and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring continuously, until the rice just begins to toast and the grains of rice have a white dot at their center.
• Pour in the white wine, and once it has evaporated, quickly add 1 cup of the hot stock and stir continuously. When the stock is completely absorbed, begin adding the liquid in 1 cup batches, stirring all the time, with a wooden spoon, back and forth in a rhythmic motion. Wait for each batch of liquid to be absorbed before adding the next. The rice should be bubbling and quickly absorbing the liquid. After about 15 minutes, taste the rice for tenderness. It should be slightly but not too al dente. The risotto may need more liquid and more time, so keep cooking until it's done. It should be neither soupy nor dry; each grain of rice should be coated in a flavorful starchy "sauce."
• When the rice is almost done, turn off the heat. Let the risotto "rest" for a minute or two, then quickly stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the parsley (and Parmigiano-Reggiano if you are using it). Taste for seasoning. The rice will keep absorbing liquid, so add a little more stock if it seems dry. Spoon the risotto into a serving bowl.
• Note
• You can braise the veal shanks a day or two ahead of time; just remember they need to marinate a full day beforehand. Bring the cooked meat to room temperature and then gently reheat it, covered, in the broth. Start the risotto after you take the veal out of the oven the first time (or after you have reheated it) and strain the braising juices. After the risotto has been cooking about 10 minutes, put the shanks in the oven to brown. Recruit a friend to help you by preparing the sauté of peas and pea shoots while you finish the risotto.

MONK FISH OSSO BUCO WITH BROWN RICE & ENGLISH PEAS

Steps:

• In a large braising pot heat olive oil and butter untill butter starts to foam. Add both monk fish steaks and cook 3 minutes on each side untill slightly firm to touch (do not cook through). After cooking the second side, add red sherry wine to pot. Add diced shallots, entire contents of red tomato can, water or stock, fresh rosemary, sage spring, and basil. Simmer at med-low heat for 3 hrs. One hour before serving, in a seperate pot, boil 2 cups of water and add 1 cup brown rice for 30 minutes, or untill rice has absorbed all of the water. Add 2 tsbn of butter and frozen peas and stir untill peas are heated through but still slightly firm. 20 minutes before serving remove sage spring from braising pot and remove pot from the heat. Add lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. To plate; pile rice and peas in the middle of the dish, place 1 monk fish steak on top, and cover generiously with braising sauce. Optionally, garnish with fresh sage.