Osso Buco

“Thank you, thank you very much. I’m here ’til Thursday. Try the veal.”~Shrek

 

I’ve wasn’t the biggest fan of Veal until I had Osso Buco.  It was about 15 years ago when I was a server at this upscale Italian restaurant in Downtown Denver that I found love for this easy and savory dish.  The restaurant isn’t there anymore, though it did win the ‘Best Pasta in Denver’ award back in the 90′s, according to Westword Magazine.  Sigh.  I loved the food there…

Anyway, seeing as I wasn’t a food lover yet (as I am now), I hadn’t even heard of Osso Buco, or 1/2 the other stuff they had on the menu for that matter, when I started working there.  So needless to say, I had to do some quick studying.  And part of my studies was to try everything on the menu.  Well, you could imagine my glee when they broke that news to us at one of our pre-opening staff meetings.  (I was hired prior to the restaurant opening, so all of us were in the same boat for the most part).

Once I had learned what the main ingredient was for Osso Buco, I wanted no part of it.  I had had veal before, and the taste left me **not happy**.  At all.

But I was told that I just had to sample it, as I had to describe it to our future patrons.  So I did.  And I luuurved it!!  The veal was nothing like I’d had in the past.  Not veal-y, if that makes any sense.  Or at least not a veal-y taste that I’d taste in the past.  I know.  Confusing.

Bottom line, it was great.

This is kind of a recipe that I’d received from a sweet elderly Italian lady that used to work at Saks when I was the general office manager.  She used to work in the alterations department, and one day she had hurt her back, and working in that department only made it worse, so she came to my department and worked for me for a few months.  We got to know each other, and when she found out that I loved to cook, and loved Italian food, she wrote down so many recipes for me!  Oh, I loved her.

I’ve changed it a bit, as there were alot of herbs in there. A great recipe overall, but  overly herby for my taste.  Once I added my changes, my son and I liked it so much more.  Thank you very much.

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

3 lbs veal shank (tell your butcher that you’d like them prepped for osso buco)

1/4 cup a/p flour

1 cup dry white wine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 med onion, chopped small

2 stalks celery, chopped small

2 carrots, cubed small

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes (either canned or fresh)

2 1/2 cups chicken stock + more if needed

3 sprigs fresh thyme

6 sprigs of fresh parsley

1 bay leaf

kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Place the butter/olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat.  Blot any moisture from the shanks and season with salt and pepper.  Dust them in the flour and brown the shanks on all sides.  Remove the shanks to a large baking dish in a single layer.  Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce to about half. In a separate pan over medium heat, add the garlic, onion, celery and carrots with a bit of butter and let cook until softened.

Pour the wine over the shanks. Top the shanks with the vegetables, and the tomatoes. Pour enough chicken stock over the shanks and veggies to come to the top of the shanks but not covered. Place the herbs in the center and on top of the shanks and veggies, as these will be removed before serving (you can also wrap them in cheesecloth, but I find that it’s not necessary).

Cover and cook in a 300 degree oven for 3 1/2 hours. Once done, remove and discard the herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Top with a generous amount of Gremolata before serving.

Gremolata

1/4 cup finely chopped italian parsley

zest from 1 lemon, finely chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

Mix the three ingredients in a small bowl.  Sprinkle on Osso Buco, fish, or other meat dishes.

Also, you can add to sour cream for a tasty dip for veggies!

 

Green Chile

Green Chile is one of those dishes that is indigenous to many states in the southwest region of the U.S.  My boyfriend who’s hispanic had never even heard of Green Chile until he moved to Colorado in 1996.  And he grew up with all types of hispanic food.  So that would tell one that even though it’s attributed and served in almost every mexican restaurant I’ve been to, it’s really not completely hispanic…though it borrows so much of the flavors and ingredients from many authentic mexican dishes, it’s something that was created right here in these United States.

For those that don’t know, i.e., if you’re from the anywhere in the U.S. other than California, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona…etc, Green Chile is a wonderful stew that is usually made with diced pork, green chilies, salsa verde, cumin, and other yummy ingredients.  It’s spicy, savory, and embodies all that is good with the world.  Seriously.

Green Chile is usually enjoyed in a bowl topped with Crema, or on top of smothered burritos, chile rellenos, chimichangas….etc.

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 lbs pork shoulder, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

all purpose flour

1 cup chopped onion

2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp salt

1 tbsp cumin

2 4 oz cans diced green chiles

2 4 oz cans diced *hot* jalapenos

10 oz can stewed tomatoes w/ green chilies (I use Rotel)

10 oz green enchilada sauce

Directions

In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the oil to medium high heat.  Toss the pork in enough flour to coat, shaking off the excess.  (I’d tell you how much, but I’ve never really measured…sorry!!)

After the pork is well coated, brown all sides in the oil.

Once the pork is browned on all sides, add the next 6 ingredients.  Cover and let simmer for about an hour.  Add water if needed to keep the pork covered.

After an hour, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well; let simmer on low for an additional hour, stirring occasionally.  It should have the consistency of a stew.  If it’s too thin, in a separate bowl, mix together 1 tbsp of corn starch with 2 tbsp of warm water. Once smooth, add to the stew and bring to a slow boil or a low simmer till thickened. Re-season if necessary.

Serve over the recommended dishes above.

 

Gumbo

There’s one thing about Gumbo that you should know.  There are so many versions, it’s utterly ridiculous. 

 

You can leave in or delete many of the ingredients below.  The roux (the shortening/flour mixture), is pretty much a staple in gumbo, but some people leave that out and use a tomato base.  I personally have never had a Gumbo with tomatoes, and I probably never will.  I know I said you can change things up, but I could never imagine making a gumbo with tomatoes.  My great grandmother, cajun as you can get, told me that a good gumbo should look like dirty mop water.  No, it doesn’t sound appetizing, but that’s pretty much the way it looks.  Now, back to the different ways to make gumbo.  The recipe below calls for a shortening/flour mix for the roux.  But many people use vegetable oil. Also, if you don’t want to use water, you can use shrimp stock, chicken stock, vegetable stock…  You can leave the chicken out, and substitute it for duck, rabbit, squirrel,  nutria, raccoons and opossums.  You can substitute the Blue Crab for Dungeness Crab (though don’t let my mom know you did that, cuz that’s not new orleans), you can use a different type of sausage (a more cajun one, or andouille).  Leave the oysters out if you want!   

The bottom line?  No two families make gumbo the same.   

But this is THE way my mom always makes her gumbo.

Serves 12-14

1 cup shortening
1 cup flour  (the flour and shortening combo make the roux.  add more roux to make your gumbo thicker, and less for a thinner gumbo)
1 large onion, chopped 
3 ribs celery, chopped 
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 gallons water or chicken stock 
1 chicken, cut up 
1 lb smoked sausage, cut in 1/4 inch slices 
Salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
2 bay leaves  
2 (8 oz) can oysters, with the water (boiled, not smoked)
3 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 
3 pounds blue crab, cracked down the middle 

Heat the shortening on medium high in a large cast iron skillet. Once melted add the flour and combine. Cook the roux, stirring constantly, to a dark peanut butter color. This takes quite a while, just go with it.
***disclaimer: roux needs to be stirred constantly, if you walk away for even a minute, it will burn. If this happens, throw it away and WASH YOUR SKILLET. Wiping it won’t do because the taste and smell will still be there***
When the roux reaches a color just a bit darker than peanut butter, add the vegetables, combine and continue cooking and stirring. (be careful not to spatter yourself when you add the veggies). When the vegetables are tender and the roux reaches the chocolate color, carefully transfer it to a heavy bottomed large pot. Add the water (or stock) and stir until the roux incorporates with the water. Add the chicken, seasonings and bay leaves. Simmer for about a 1/2 hour, then add the sausage.  Continue cooking for an additional 1/2 hour. BTW…it should have a stew like consistency.

Add the oysters, shrimp and crab about 10 minutes before serving.  Re-season with salt, pepper if needed
Serve in large soup or gumbo bowls over about 1/2 cup of cooked rice per serving.  Sprinkle a little gumbo file (fee-lay) on top before serving, if you so desire
Oh!! Don’t eat the bay leaves!!!

Caldeirada De Peixe

 

Caldeirada De Peixe is a Portuguese Fishermans Stew.  This recipe calls for specific types of fish, but truthfully, this recipe is largely made up of whatever the fishermen were lucky enough to catch that day.  Feel free to change it up and use any fish that suites your fancy, except of course, I wouldn’t use a fish that has too strong of a flavor.  Nice and mild…

Also, traditionally the recipe calls for Cilantro instead of Parsley.  I try to keep it real when I can.  And if I can’t, I’ll let you know, as in this instance.  If you like Cilantro, use it.  It lends to the true taste of this stew.  Enjoy!!

 

Ingredients

 

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 onions, halved and sliced thin

2 red peppers, halved and sliced thin

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 potatoes, peeled and sliced 

4 tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 1/2 cups white wine (not cooking wine please) 

2 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

salt & pepper

pinch of saffron

1 lb mackerel, 1 1/2 inch dice 

1 lb monkfish, 1 1/2 inch dice 

1 lb large shrimp, cleaned but with tails 

20 mussels

20  clams

fresh parsley

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat, add onion, peppers, garlic and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring often.. Add potato, tomato, wine, broth, bay leaves, and saffron, then  bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until potato is just tender, about 20 minutes.  Season to taste with salt & pepper.

In layers, add the fish on top of the mixture, then the shrimp, mussels and clams.  Cover, cook until shells open, about 8-10 minutes.  

Discard any shellfish that did not open.

Once the stew is in bowls, garnish with the fresh parsley.

print this recipe here