OSSO BUCCO.........

Oh those slow cooked meals invented by busy women in the past and what comfort and smells they offer up in the cold weather..My house smells divine.. a faint hint of onion,butter,meat,tomatoes and and bay wafts through the chilly halls and into my nose reminding me I have parsley sauce to make yet. Osso Bucco, a classic Milanese veal knuckle stew takes about 3 hours from start to finish but is worth the effort..
YOU WILL NEED

Coat 2 large veal knuckles with flour generously

in a large enamel pot heat 2 T butter with 2T olive oil let this get quite hot

Braise the veal on all sides for several minutes searing the meat

Remove the meat and set aside

Combine 3 cups of chicken broth with 1 cup of white wine..pour this into the pan and deglaze ..reduce flame or heat to simmer..Replace the veal in the stock..salt and pepper and cover

Cut into small pieces 2 carrots, 1 onion,and 3 ribs of celery..chop these in a Cuisineart medium fine..place this mixture in a bowl

Peel and seed 4 tomatoes by placing them ion boiling water for several minutes, cool and remove skins and seeds Chop these into chunks..reserve

At this point add 1/4 cup of the vegetable mix to the simmering meat, add a bay leaf..continue to cook this for 1 hour watching the juices to keep the meat moist..turn the veal once..

Turn off the heat...let the meat rest

chicken stock...vegetables and the parsley mix

peeled tomatoes

the simmering gold

look like toads!!!!!

THE PARSLEY SAUCE

cut up in a Cuisineart 1 bunch of Italian flat parsley..12-15 cloves of peeled garlic...decant into a sealed container and add about 1/4-1/2 cup of olive oil enough to coat the mix..

using a grater ,zest the skin of one large organic lemon add this zest to the parsley.. THIS MIX is wonderful with fish, on sandwiches and mixed into the Osso Bucco just before serving....it also makes a fabulous pasta sauce...add some pasta water and you are good to go...

To plate the dish...reheat the meat and simmer for 10 minutes...add the tomatoes and vegetable mix. ( at this point an optional flavor is to add 3-4 crushed juniper berries).let this cook for another 10 minutes...turn off heat.. Grate a little orange peel into the mixture

SEE the spaetzle?????? follow the directions on the package and serve this with the meat..

A big romaine salad with lemon juice and olive oil is perfect with this wintery meal..

If you have any left overs use this as a sauce for baked precooked rigatoni...

Pour the wine..light the fire...bliss