Slowly Braised Veal Shanks, the perfect comfort food from Italy.
Chef's notes
To prevent the veal from coming off the bone after cooking and ruining your presentation, tie a piece of butcher's twine around the outside before browning. Cut and remove the string once the Veal is on the plate.
Risotto Milanese and Gremolata are the traditional Side and Garnish. Beware of the Gremolata though, with the citrus component, it will mask the nuances of fine wine you may be having with it.
I prefer a large oval enamel coated Cast Iron pot for this recipe (Le Creuset type)
Wine pairing: The traditional pairing for this dish is a wine made from the Nebbiolo Grape from Piedmont, Italy. A nice mature Barolo or Barbareso would be ideal.
Otherwise, a new world Pinot Noir (fruit forward stlye from Sonoma Valley, CA) or a milder Grenache based red wine will work just fine. As the Veal's flavour is somewhat delicate, I would stay away from bigger red wines such as Sirah/Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon as they may steal the show.
Steps
1
Sear the Veal Shanks
Ingredients
8 Veal Shanks, 1½-2 inches thick
Flour for dredging, approx 1/3 cup
2 tsp Kosher Salt
2 tsp fresh ground pepper
3+ Tbsp Olive Oil
Add oil to large French oven and place over medium-high heat. Mix salt and pepper into flour. Dredge each veal shank with flour mixture and place into pot once the oil has become very hot. Do NOT crowd, you will have to do these in 2 or 3 batches. Once browned, turn the Veal and repeat for other side. Once completely browned, remove from pot and continue with remaining Veal adding additional oil as required
2
Building the flavour base
Ingredients
4 Tbsp butter
1½ cups chopped onion
1½ cups peeled and chopped carrots
1½ cups chopped celery
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
3/4 cup dry white vermouth or dry white wine
Once the last of the Veal is removed from the pot, drain any left over oil. Set heat to medium and add the butter. Once the butter stops foaming add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Gently sauté as you don't want to add much colour to the vegetables, about 10 minutes. Once the vegetables have softened, add the white wine to deglaze the pan over med. high heat making sure to scrape any brown bits to dissolve into wine. Continue until the liquid is almost gone.
3
Final Assembly and Slow Braise
Ingredients
½ cup marsala or madeira wine
4-6 cups of veal or beef stock
2 tsp fresh tyme finely chopped or ½ tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
Set the heat to low. Add marsala, tyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and 4 cups of the beef stock to the pot. Give it a quick stir and place the browned veal side by side on top. Add additional stock until the veal is just barely covered.
Remove from heat, cover and bake on the lower rack of a 400 deg oven for 30 mins.
Lower temp to 350 deg for about 1½ hours or until fork tender.
4
Finishing steps and plating
Ingredients
3 Tbsp cornstarch
Salt and pepper to taste.
Very gently remove veal from french oven and cover with foil. Keep warm.
Gradually add cornstarch to braising liquid while constantly stirring. Bring to a slow simmer until slightly thickend.
Check for seasoning.
Place a generous amount of Risotto Milanese into 8 individual pasta bowls. Place a peice of veal againt the risotto and top with braising liquid and vegetables.
Garnish with a sprinkling of Gremolata and serve!
Bon Appetit!
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