Braising: Ossobuco (8/1/10)

Technique of the Week

For this week, I chose braising as my technique. Braising is a cooking method that utilizes both dry and moist heat on meat, fish, seafood, or vegetables. Inexpensive, tougher cuts of meat are typically braised. First, the dry heat is applied by searing all sides of the main dish in some form of fat whether it is olive oil, butter, or sometimes flavorful fat cooked out of prosciutto. This gives the final dish an additional layer of tastiness which could not be achieved by just the moist heat application. After searing, the moist heat is applied by adding a small amount of cooking liquid and placing it at low, simmering temperatures. Cooking times are dependent on the size and food being cooked. Meat dishes will typically take between 2-3 hours. When braising meat, this slow process allows enough time for the tough connective tissue or "collogen" to break down. As the collogen breaks down, it melts into gelatin. This adds flavor and also serves as a thickening agent for the cooking liquid. The liquid is then usually made into a sauce for the final dish. Braising is typically done in a Dutch oven on the stove top and then finished in the oven, but it can also be accomplished using a slow cooker or a pressure cooker.


Recipe of the Week

The recipe I chose for the technique of week was ossobuco. Ossobuco is a traditional Italian dish that involves the braising of veal shanks. After doing a little research, I quickly realized just how many variations of "ossobuco" there are. It sparked an interest in me to find out a little more about the origins of the dish. A few more clicks of the mouse brought me to a website by Clifford A. Wright, winner of the James Beard award in 2000 for his literary work on a book called A Mediterranean Feast (note to self: add this to my book list). As it turns out, ossobuco, meaning "hollowed bone", is originally a Milanese dish that was cooked very differently then it is today. The original dish probably did not use tomatoes which is a "New World" fruit and was mainly cooked with white wine. It contained spices including cinammon and allspice. The dish was traditionally served with a "gremolada", a condiment consisting of lemon zest, parsley, and garlic. I can only speak for myself, but I've always thought of ossobuco as a red wine dish and never imagined it without tomatoes. Researching the origin made me appreciate the dish a little bit more. Still when I was putting together my recipe for the week, I ironically went ahead and chose a New World version of the dish. There just seemed like a lot more going on in the modern version, and complexity is something that attracts me.


Prep Work and Execution

All things aside, ossobuco is actually really easy to cook. Getting all the ingredients together is the hardest part, and this brings me to the first lesson learned this week. Improvisation is your culinary friend. Finding veal shanks in Saint Croix was about as easy as finding my eyeglasses after taking out my contacts -- they're never in the first couple places you look. But luckily, I ended up finding some really fresh beef shanks to substitute.

I began by searing two large beef shanks that measured about 5 inches across and 2 inches thick in olive oil and butter. After browning all sides, I removed the shanks and added garlic, parsley, lemon zest, two bay leaves, and a "mirepoix" to the pan. Mirepoix is a French term for a combination of diced onions, carrots, and celery. It is the base for many stews and soups. After letting these render down, I added a touch of wine and made sure to scrap all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Those brown bits are like little tiny flavor crystals so be sure to get them all.

At this point, your about halfway done -- no joke.

Next, I added a the rest of a bottle of a dry Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon. I think this was a good choice. It wasn't too sweet or overpowering and it had hints of plum and cherries. In hindsight, a second lesson learned was that, volume-wise, a whole bottle may have been slightly excessive. In the future, a half bottle should do just fine. Continuing, once the wine reduced by half I added crushed tomatoes and organic beef stock. I let those ingredients mingle for a quick minute and threw the whole thing in the oven for 2 hours and 45 minutes at 325 degrees. For the final dish, I paired it with a mushroom risotto. Thanks to Rose for helping with the continuous stirring for 30 minutes. Risotto's no cakewalk either.

Conclusions

Preparation and execution of the ossobuco was very straightforward and the taste was out of this world. The meat came out falling off the bone but not too dry. The amount of flavor that braising imparts on meat is exceptional. I tasted the wine, celery, carrots, lemon, bay leaf flavors in each bite I took. Overall, it was another huge success. I'm two for two and feeling confident for week three. If you have the time and the patience to try braising or even ossobuco, then please do so. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. Until next time, happy eating!