Veal Shanks With Lemon Food

VEAL SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add veal, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. In an ovenproof Dutch oven, brown meat in oil in batches on all sides; drain., In a large skillet, saute the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in butter until tender. Return veal to the Dutch oven; top with vegetable mixture. Add tomatoes, broth, basil, thyme and bay leaves., Cover and bake 2 to 2-1/4 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaves. Just before serving, combine garnish ingredients; sprinkle over veal. Freeze option: Place individual portions to cooled meat and cooking juices in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little broth if necessary.

VEAL WITH LEMON AND CAPERS

Steps:

• Pour the flour mixture on a plate, and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the scaloppini in the flour and shake off the excess, set aside. Melt butter and olive oil together in a skillet over medium fire. Add scaloppini to skillet and brown on both sides. Set aside until all the veal has been cooked. After the veal has been removed from the pan, add the chicken stock to the pan over high heat and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen the brown bits. Cook until the liquid has thickened. Straining the liquid may be necessary to remove the larger pieces of the scrapings. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, capers, lemon juice and parsley to sauce. Stir over a high heat about 5 minutes. Pour sauce over the veal. Garnish with sliced lemons and serve.

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.

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS WITH GREMOLATA

Steps:

• Coarse sea salt, for garnish, optional For the braised veal shanks: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Dredge the shanks in the flour, making sure to get off any excess. Add the shanks to the pan, in batches if necessary, and cook on all sides until browned, 3 to 4 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate. If browning in batches, repeat with the remaining shanks. Add the onions, carrots, celery, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, thyme, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and chiles to the pan and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until glossy, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, scraping to deglaze the pan. Add the chicken stock and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Taste the simmering braising liquid at this point; it should taste seasoned. Return the shanks to the pan, cover and braise in the oven until the meat is very tender, 3 to 4 hours.
• For the gremolata: When almost ready to serve, combine the parsley, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt and garlic in a small bowl. Stir to combine. To serve, remove the shanks to a serving platter and spoon the sauce and braising vegetables over the top of them. Sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt and garnish with gremolata.

VEAL SHANKS WITH PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• Combine lemons, 1 teaspoon salt and sugar in a small saute pan. Cover with 2 cups water and simmer over medium heat until soft, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
• Cook the bacon in a large, heavy bottom saucepan over medium-low heat until golden, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove and set aside. Increase the heat to medium high, add the shanks and sear until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
• Add the onion and garlic. Lower the heat to medium and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, increase the heat to high and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, lemons, carrots, turnips, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Return the shanks and bacon to the pan. Cover partly and simmer gently until the meat falls off the bone, about 2 hours.
• Divide the shanks among 4 plates. Ladle the sauce over each shank. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately. Serve with root vegetable puree (recipe below).

OSSO BUCCO (VEAL SHANKS) WITH LEMON/TANGERINE GREMOLATA

Steps:

• Note: shanks cut into 2 1/2 inch pieces, tied with string around the circumference.
• Note: i use 3 cups drained canned tomatoes chopped but cant remember can size so put fresh. both work.
• Heat oven to 350. Melt butter in a dutch oven/casserole dish or use an electric frying pan for it all. Add chopped carrots, celery and onion to butter until they are lightly colored.
• In a heavy skillet heat 6 tbs olive oil. Season veal and dredge in flour then brown on ALL sides including edges. Add to casserole on top of vegetables.
• Deglaze the skillet by adding the cup of wine and scraping up the browned bits. Boil till reduced to 1/2 cup. Add stock, tomatoes and herbs, bring to a boil and pour over veal. Make sure it comes at least 1/2 way up the side of the meat and add more wine or stock if needed.
• Cover the pot and bake in oven for 1 1/2 hours basting occasionally until meat is fork tender.
• Remove veal from casserole, and if you wish put meat in oven heated up to 450 on a plate until it browns and glazes. Or just set it aside and keep warm.
• To strain the sauce press through a fine mesh sieve until all juice is back in the pot. Can be whizzed in the processor as well. Heat to boiling.
• Add the lemon and tangerine peel, garlic and parsley, boil till reduced and thickened, season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over the meat. Garnish with a few strips of zest from both fruits.
• Serve with Risotto alla milanese or plain rice, and some crusty bread to put the marrow on and mop up the sauce.
• If you have any leftovers enjoy, and if there is no meat but just sauce its wonderful over rice or noodles as a light supper.

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS WITH GARLIC, LEMON, AND PARSLEY

Steps:

• Peel and cut the onion and carrots into 1/2-inch dice. Cut the celery into 1/2-inch dice. Coarsely chop the tomatoes.
• Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 350ºF. Pat veal shanks dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Tie the shanks securely. Dredge shanks in the flour.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a 5-quart dutch oven. Saute the veal shanks over high heat, turning to sear on both sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer browned shanks to a plate. Discard oil and heat the butter. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and saute, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and color slightly, about 10 minutes. Return the shanks to the dutch oven, placing them on top of the vegetables. Add the wine, chicken stock, tomatoes, and thyme and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover and transfer pan to the oven. Braise, basting every 30 minutes, until the meat is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Can cool, cover, and set shanks aside for several hours, or refrigerate in sauce up to 3 days).
• Serving:.
• For the gremolada, peel and mince the garlic. Grate 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Mince the parsley. Mix the garlic, lemon zest, and parsley; set aside. If shanks have been refrigerated, warm them over low heat. Transfer the shanks to a platter. Skim the cooking liquid and transfer the braised vegetables and the liquid to the workbowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade; puree. Adjust the seasoning. Return the meat and sauce to the dutch oven. Sprinkle gremolada over the meat, and simmer for 5 minutes, until the shanks are warmed through. Spoon sauce onto 6 warm dinner plates. Put shanks over the sauce and serve immediately.

MILAN-STYLE BRAISED VEAL SHANKS

Steps:

• Tie kitchen twine around circumference of each veal shank so that veal will hold shape while cooking. Set heavy large pot over medium heat (pot should be big enough to accommodate veal arranged in single layer). Add 1/4 cup butter to pot and melt. Add onions, carrot and 2 1/2 teaspoons garlic and sauté until vegetables are tender but not brown, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
• Sprinkle veal shanks with salt and pepper. Coat veal with flour, shaking off excess. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add veal to skillet and cook until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer veal to pot with vegetables. Discard fat in skillet.
• Add 1 cup white wine to skillet and boil until liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup, scraping up browned bits, about 3 minutes. Pour over veal and vegetables. Add canned tomatoes with juices, 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped basil and lemon peel strips to pot. Add enough beef broth to cover veal. Bring mixture to boil. Cover pot tightly with aluminum foil, then lid. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until veal is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat before continuing.)
• Transfer veal to platter; cover to keep warm. Boil sauce until slightly thickened and reduced to 4 cups, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Mix grated lemon peel, remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and 2 tablespoons parsley in small bowl. Pour sauce over veal. Sprinkle with lemon peel mixture.

VEAL SHANKS, ARTICHOKE HEARTS, AND CHICK-PEAS WITH PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• Make four-day preserved lemon zest:
• Scrub lemons and with a vegetable peeler remove zest in strips. In a saucepan of boiling water blanch zest 1 minute and drain in a sieve. Transfer zest to a glass jar (about 1-cup capacity). Add salt and juice, pressing zest down to keep it covered by lemon juice, and cover jar with a tight-fitting glass lid or plastic-coated lid. Let zest stand at room temperature 4 days, shaking jar each day. Preserved lemon zest keeps, covered and chilled, 6 months. Makes about 1/2 cup.
• Make the veal:
• Preheat oven to 275°F.
• In a heavy kettle large enough to hold veal shanks in one layer without crowding arrange shanks and season with salt and pepper. Roast shanks in middle of oven, covered tightly, 3 hours, or until tender. (Meat will give off juices as it cooks.)
• While shanks are roasting, in a large saucepan combine chick-peas with enough water to cover by 4 inches and simmer, covered partially, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until tender but not falling apart. Drain chick-peas in a colander. Chick-peas may be cooked 2 days ahead, cooled, uncovered, and chilled, covered.
• Transfer shanks to a deep platter and keep warm, reserving pan juices.
• In a large heavy skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook onion, stirring, until softened. Add artichoke hearts, chick-peas, and reserved pan juices and simmer, covered, until artichoke hearts are just tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer about 1/2 cup chick-peas with a slotted spoon and about 1 cup pan juices from skillet to a blender and purée. Stir purée into artichoke and chick-pea mixture to thicken and stir in coriander and salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon artichoke and chick-pea mixture over shanks and sprinkle with preserved lemon.