OSSO GOOD BONES RECIPES

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.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 160C (140C fan-forced).

  2. Heat half the oil in a large frypan and cook the onion and celery for 10 minutes until softened. Add the carrot, garlic and rosemary, tossing well, cooking until they just start to brown. Add the stock and bring to the boil, stirring. Transfer to a large ovenproof, lidded casserole dish.

  3. Season the meat with salt and pepper, and toss in the flour until lightly coated. Heat remaining oil in the same frypan and fry the meat, in batches, for 3 minutes on each side until brown and crusty. Arrange the meat in one layer on top of the vegetables in the casserole dish.

  4. To deglaze the frypan, add the wine and bring it to the boil for 2 minutes, scraping any bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon (these bits add flavour). Add the tomato paste, anchovy, orange zest and chilli, stirring, then tip the lot into the casserole dish.

  5. Place a cartouche of baking paper on top of the meat (see tip), cover tightly and cook in the oven for 2-2½ hours, turning the meat over once halfway through, until it is tender and almost falling from the bone. Allow to cool (refrigerate if you have time).

  6. To serve, skim off any excess fat, then reheat. Scatter with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes, pasta or rice, and buttered kale, spinach or green beans.

  Tip: A cartouche will reduce evaporation and prevent a skin from forming. To make one, fold a sheet of baking paper in half, pierce it two or three times with the tip of a knife to allow air to escape, and trim it to fit on top of the meat inside the pot.

  • The golden rules of braising