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Recipe for "osso-bucco"

NAME

     OSSO-BUCCO - Braised veal shanks in white wine
     This recipe is adapted from Marcella  Hazan's  More  Classic
     Italian  Cooking.   Simple  to  make,  this  dish  beats any
     ``traditional'' osso bucco with tomatoes and vegetables that
     I've had in the U.S. or Italy.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

     8 slices  veal shank, each 4-5 cm thick.
     60 ml     olive oil
     80 g      unsalted butter
     5-7 dl     dry white wine
     1         lemon
     20 g      fresh parsley, chopped fine
               flour, salt, and pepper

PROCEDURE

          (1)  Dredge the veal shank pieces well in flour.
          (2)  In a large skillet with high sides, heat the olive
               oil and butter over moderately high heat until the
               butter stops foaming. If you do not have a skillet
               large  enough  to accommodate all of the meat in a
               single layer, use two smaller pans.
          (3)  Add the veal shanks to the skillet and arrange  in
               a  single  layer.   Cook over moderately high heat
               until browned on one side.
          (4)  Add a generous amount of salt and pepper.
          (5)  Turn meat and brown the other side, and  add  salt
               and pepper.
          (6)  Add enough white wine to nearly,  but  not  quite,
               cover  the meat.  Reduce heat to a barely bubbling
               simmer.  Cover with a well-fitting lid.  Cook at a
               simmer for 21/2 hours.
          (7)  Peel a thin layer of rind from the lemon. (I  find
               that a vegetable peeler gives me a nice thin layer
               of rind.)  Cut rind into fine strips.
          (8)  Remove veal shanks to a warm plate.  The meat will
               be  falling-off-the-bone tender, so a wide spatula
               is advised  for  this  step  to  keep  each  shank
               intact.   Keep  meat warm through the next several
               steps.
          (9)  Add lemon peel and chopped parsley  to  the  sauce
               and  place  over  high  heat.  Boil vigorously for
               several minutes to reduce sauce slightly.  Stir to
               loosen  any  brown bits from the pan and then fre-
               quently to prevent burning.
          (10) Remove from heat and  return  shanks  to  skillet.
               Spoon  sauce  over shanks and replace skillet lid.
               Let sit for 3-5 minutes to reheat shanks.
          (11) Serve with sauce over shanks.

NOTES

     Veal shanks are a relatively inexpensive cut  of  meat.   If
     possible,  ask  your  butcher  to use hind shanks which have
     more meat than do the forelegs.  The key to this dish is the
     quality  of  the  ingredients.   I  use  the  best olive oil
     (Italian, virgin first-press, cold-press) and table  quality
     dry  white  wine  (fume  or sauvignon blanc) I can find at a
     reasonable price.
     For dredging, rather than using a  plate  of  flour,  I  put
     about  2/3 cup flour in a plastic bag, put in the shanks one
     at a time, and shake to thoroughly cover all  sides  of  the
     meat with flour.
     The flavor of the dish is light so I usually  serve  with  a
     home-made pasta dish with a cream-based sauce  and a steamed
     green vegetable.  Be sure to have plenty of crusty bread  on
     hand  to  soak up the sauce.  For those who like the marrow,
     don't forget to spoon it out of the shanks.

RATING

     Difficulty: moderate.  Time: 30 minutes preparation, 3 hours
     cooking.  Precision: approximate measurement OK.

CONTRIBUTOR

     Pamela McGarvey
     UCLA Comprehensive Epilepsy Program
     {ihnp4!sdcrdcf,ucbvax!ucla-cs,hao}!cepu!pam