Amber Veal Shanks Recipes

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.

OSSO BUCO (ITALIAN BRAISED VEAL SHANKS) RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Season veal shanks all over with salt and pepper. If you have butcher's twine, you can tie a length of it tightly around the circumference of each shank; this can help them hold their shape during cooking, but is not absolutely necessary.
• Add butter to Dutch oven, along with onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until vegetables are softened and just starting to turn a light golden color, about 6 minutes.
• Prepare a parchment paper lid following these instructions . Cover shanks with parchment lid and transfer to oven. Cook for 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, for the Gremolata: In a small bowl, stir together parsley, lemon zest, and garlic. Set aside.
• Carefully transfer shanks to a platter. (Using a spatula and tongs together can help prevent them from falling apart.) Using a spoon, carefully scrape off any excess fat on surface of braising juices. The liquid should be saucy and thick; you can adjust the consistency by adding either water or stock to thin the sauce, or simmering it on the stovetop until more fully reduced. Discard thyme and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
• Remove twine from shanks, if used. Serve shanks on plates, spooning braising sauce on top and passing remaining gremolata at the table for diners to sprinkle as a garnish to their own taste; make sure to offer small spoons for scooping out marrow from bones. Osso buco is traditionally served with Risotto alla Milanese .

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.

AMBER VEAL SHANKS

Steps:

• Heat the butter or oil in a heavy casserole large enough to hold the meat snugly. Add the onions, carrots and fennel, cover and cook over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring from time to time, until the vegetables are golden, about 15 minutes longer. Remove the vegetables from the casserole and reserve them.
• Pat the veal shanks dry, then brown them in the casserole over medium heat. You may not be able to do all at once. Set them aside.
• Stir the beer into the casserole and bring it to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the bay leaves and cloves and return the vegetables to the casserole. Add the veal shanks, then place a piece of wax paper into the casserole, directly on top of the meat.
• Bring to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat about two hours, turning the meat once or twice during the cooking. The veal should be very tender.
• Remove the wax paper and discard it. Remove the veal from the casserole and set it aside, covered. Stir the vinegar and mustard into the casserole and reheat the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve the veal at once, with the sauce, or, if desired, return the veal to the casserole and set it aside. Reheat it just before serving. Sprinkle with parsley.

PAN ROASTED VEAL SHANKS WITH CALVADOS, APPLES AND CIDER VINEGAR

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Dredge the shanks in the seasoned flour. Brown the shanks in the butter in a very large oven safe pan over high heat; this will take 12 to 15 minutes. Lower the heat and continue cooking for 5 minutes, turning frequently to cook evenly. DO NOT SCORCH.
• In the pan you have the shanks in, add the shallots and apples. When softened, add the cider, calvados and vinegar. Let it come to a low boil and reduce the liquid by 40 to 50 percent. Then add the chicken stock and bring it back up to a low boil.
• Place the pan in the oven for 90 minutes, tented with foil. When the cooking time in the oven is over, remove from the oven and skim fat if needed. Test the meat to make sure it's fork tender. If it's not, stick it back in the oven for a few minutes. Then place the pan back over medium-low heat on the stove.
• Add the cream and tarragon. Cook for 5 more minutes to finish cooking and reduce the sauce to a rich consistency.
• Add the currants and correct the seasoning using sea salt and then correcting for vinegar. You may be adding a bit more for acidic punch.

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.