Veal Shanks With Dried Cranberries Recipes

OSSO BUCO

Steps:

• Place the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and cloves into cheesecloth and secure with twine. This will be your bouquet garni.
• For the veal shanks, pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Veal shanks will brown better when they are dry. Secure the meat to the bone with the kitchen twine. Season each shank with salt and freshly ground pepper. Dredge the shanks in flour, shaking off excess.
• In a large Dutch oven pot, heat vegetable oil until smoking. Add tied veal shanks to the hot pan and brown all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove browned shanks and reserve.
• In the same pot, add the onion, carrot and celery. Season with salt at this point to help draw out the moisture from the vegetables. Saute until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Return browned shanks to the pan and add the white wine and reduce liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Add the bouquet garni and 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Check every 15 minutes, turning shanks and adding more chicken stock as necessary. The level of cooking liquid should always be about 3/4 the way up the shank.
• Carefully remove the cooked shanks from the pot and place in decorative serving platter. Cut off the kitchen twine and discard.
• Remove and discard bouquet garni from the pot.
• Pour all the juices and sauce from the pot over the shanks. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest.

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.

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.

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS WITH APRICOT, ORANGE AND FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pat shanks dry with paper towels and season very liberally with salt and pepper.
• Place a large, heavy roasting pan across two stove-top burners over high heat. Add 4 tablespoons of oil and heat for 30 seconds. Add veal and sear until well browned on both sides, about 15 minutes. Transfer veal to a platter. If pan looks dry, add another tablespoon oil, and onion, carrots, celery, garlic, diced fennel bulb, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a generous pinch of pepper. Sauté over medium heat until onions are translucent and tender, 7 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to sauté for 2 minutes longer.
• Pour in wine and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits. Let simmer for 2 minutes, then add broth and simmer until liquid is reduced by a third, about 5 minutes. Stir in orange juice, anchovies (if using), sage, thyme, bay leaf, half the apricots and 2 tablespoons fennel fronds. Nestle meat into vegetable mixture and pour in any meat juices from platter. Cover pan with foil, leaving a corner turned up so some steam can escape, and braise in oven for about 2 hours, turning shanks two or three times as they cook.
• When meat is quite tender, transfer it to a platter (on top of hot kasha if desired). Cover with foil to keep warm. Remove bay leaf from pan. Using a slotted spoon, transfer about a third of the vegetables to a blender or food processor and purée.
• Add purée back to pan juices. Add remaining apricots and bring to a simmer for 3 minutes. Taste and correct seasonings. Spoon sauce over meat, and serve garnished with more fennel fronds.

VEAL SHANKS WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy-bottom saucepan. Add the veal shanks and sear over medium heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
• Add the shallots and the garlic. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high. Add the vinegar and simmer until it glazes the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes.
• Add the wine and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine.
• Return the shanks to the pan. Cover partly and simmer over medium-low heat until the meat falls off the bone, about 2 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among 4 plates and garnish with the mint. Serve with root vegetable puree (recipe below).