Best 3 Braised Veal Shanks With Bacon Parmesan Crumbs Recipes

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS WITH GREMOLATA

Steps:

• Coarse sea salt, for garnish, optional For the braised veal shanks: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Dredge the shanks in the flour, making sure to get off any excess. Add the shanks to the pan, in batches if necessary, and cook on all sides until browned, 3 to 4 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate. If browning in batches, repeat with the remaining shanks. Add the onions, carrots, celery, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, thyme, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and chiles to the pan and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until glossy, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, scraping to deglaze the pan. Add the chicken stock and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Taste the simmering braising liquid at this point; it should taste seasoned. Return the shanks to the pan, cover and braise in the oven until the meat is very tender, 3 to 4 hours.
• For the gremolata: When almost ready to serve, combine the parsley, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt and garlic in a small bowl. Stir to combine. To serve, remove the shanks to a serving platter and spoon the sauce and braising vegetables over the top of them. Sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt and garnish with gremolata.

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS WITH BACON-PARMESAN CRUMBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Season veal with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches (do not crowd), cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over, 8-10 minutes; transfer to a platter. Remember: Browned meat tastes better, and this is your only opportunity to build that flavor.
• Wipe out pot, reduce heat to medium, and cook two-thirds of bacon, stirring occasionally, until fat starts to render (you don't want it to get crisp), about 4 minutes. Stick cloves in onion quarters and add to pot along with garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage sprigs, and bay leaves; stir to coat. Add wine, bring to a simmer, and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, crushing with your hands as you go, then broth and veal shanks along with any accumulated juices. Add water just to cover; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven.
• Braise veal shanks, checking occasionally to make sure liquid is not boiling too hard and shanks are still submerged (add water along the way if needed), until meat is extremely tender and nearly falling off the bone, 1 1/2-2 hours. Let shanks cool slightly in liquid, then transfer to a platter or cutting board and tent with foil. Strain braising liquid into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; cook until liquid is reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, 30-40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook remaining bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, 5-8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels with a slotted spoon.
• Add olive oil, then breadcrumbs to skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing occasionally to coat and brown evenly, until breadcrumbs are golden brown and crisp, 8.10 minutes. Add Parmesan, sage leaves, and reserved bacon and toss to coat. Transfer to a small bowl.
• Spoon some braising liquid over veal shanks and top with breadcrumbs. Serve remaining braising liquid alongside for pouring over.
• DO AHEAD: Veal shanks can be braised 2 days ahead. Let cool in unreduced braising liquid, then cover and chill.

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS

Steps:

• Stand the shank pieces up on a flat end. Cut six lengths of twine, each about 2 feet long, and wrap one around the outside of each ossobuco, in the middle (the meat will look as though it's wearing a very tight belt). Tie the twine securely and trim the ends.
• Cut a small square of cheesecloth and wrap up the bay leaves, cloves, rosemary sprig, and juniper berries. Tie the packet with twine. Shave off the peel of the orange and lemon in broad strips with a paring knife or vegetable peeler-remove only the colorful zest, not the bitter white pith. Squeeze and strain the juice from the orange.
• Just before browning the meat, salt the ossobuco lightly, using 1/2 teaspoon in all. Dredge the shanks in the flour to coat all surfaces.
• Pour the vegetable oil into the pan, and set over medium-high heat. Shake off excess flour, and set all the ossobuco in the oil, standing on a cut end. Let them sizzle for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottoms are well browned; turn to caramelize the other cut side. Flip the pieces onto their round edges, and rotate so the fat crisps all around the shanks. Remove them to a platter when nicely colored-this will take 10 minutes or more.
• When all the ossobuco are browned, carefully pour the hot vegetable oil out of the empty pan, leaving the crusted bits of meat on the bottom. Pour in the olive oil, set over medium-high heat, and dump in the onions. Stir them around for a minute or two, scraping the pan to release the caramelized bits, then stir in the carrot and celery. Drop in the cheesecloth herb sachet, sprinkle on a teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are sizzling and wilting.
• Clear a space in the pan bottom, and drop in the tomato paste; cook the paste in the hot spot for a minute, then stir it into the vegetables. Add the crushed tomatoes, stir well, and bring to a boil. Raise the heat to high, pour in the wine, and cook for a couple of minutes at a boil to evaporate the alcohol. Pour in the orange juice and about 6 cups of the hot stock; drop in all the strips of citrus zest and the remaining salt, and bring the liquids to a boil.
• Return the ossobuco to the saucepan, standing them on end so they're evenly immersed in the sauce. Add more hot stock, if necessary, just to cover the tops of the ossobuco with liquid. Cover the pan, and lower the heat so the sauce is perking steadily but not too fast. Cook for an hour or so, covered, checking that the sauce has not reduced and is still covering the meat (add stock if needed). Turn the ossobuco over in the pan so the meat cooks evenly.
• Uncover the pan, and cook for another hour or more at a bubbling simmer, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain slow but steady concentration of the sauce. As the braising-liquid level gradually drops, carefully turn the shanks again, so no parts dry out.
• Cook for 2 to 3 hours in all, until the meat at its thickest part is tender enough to pierce with a fork with only slight resistance, and the sauce is thick, reduced well below the tops of the shank pieces. Season with fresh pepper to taste and stir. Turn off the heat. Lift each ossobuco from the cooking pot with sturdy tongs, letting the sauce drain off, and place it on a large platter. Snip the knotted twine pieces with a scissors; pull off and discard. Lift out the cheesecloth sachet, press to release all the juices back into the pot, and discard.
• Set a wire-mesh sieve in a bowl or saucepan. Strain all the sauce through the sieve, pressing the liquid from the strips of peel and vegetable bits. The sauce should be thick and velvety, with the consistency of molasses (if it is too thin, quickly reduce it over high heat). Taste the sauce, and adjust the seasoning for the last time.
• Chop and stir together the chopped parsley, garlic, and lemon zest for the gremolata just before serving, for freshness. Spoon the Risotto alla Milanese (page 48) into the center of six wide plates, and nestle the ossobuco in the center of the risotto. Spoon over it some of the sauce, and sprinkle lightly with gremolata (about 1/2 teaspoon per serving). Serve with small spoons for scooping the delicious marrow from the bones, and pass the remaining gremolata at the table.