7. When the ossobuco is done, transfer it to a warm platter, carefully remove the trussing strings without letting the shanks come apart, pour the sauce in the pot over them, and serve at once. If the pot juices are too thin and watery, place the pot over a burner with high heat, boil down the excess liquid, then pour the reduced juices over the ossobuco on the platter.
Note Do not flour the veal, or anything else that needs to be browned, in advance because the flour will become soggy and make it impossible to achieve a crisp surface.
Gremolada
If you wish to observe ossobuco tradition strictly, you must add an aromatic mixture called gremolada to the shanks, when they are nearly done. I never do it myself, but some people like it, and if you want to try it, here is what it consists of:
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel, taking care to avoid the white pith
¼ teaspoon garlic chopped very, very fine
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Combine the ingredients evenly and sprinkle the mixture over the shanks while they are cooking but when they are done, so that the gremolada cooks with the veal no longer than 2 minutes.
Ahead-of-time note Ossobucocan be completely cooked a day or two in advance. It should be reheated gently over the stove, adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of water, if needed. If you are using the gremolada, add it only when reheating the meat.
Ossobuco in Bianco—Tomato-Less Braised Veal Shanks
THE LIGHT-HANDED and delicately fragrant ossobuco of this recipe is quite different from the robust Milanese version. The tomato and vegetables and herbs of the traditional preparation are absent, and it is cooked in the slow Italian pan-roasted style, entirely on top of the stove.
For 6 to 8 servings
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
8 1½-inch-thick slices of veal hind shank, each tied tightly around the middle
Flour, spread on a plate
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons lemon peel with none of the white pith beneath it, chopped very fine
5 tablespoons chopped parsley
1. Choose a large saute pan that can subsequently accommodate all the shanks snugly without overlapping. (If you do not have a single pan that broad, use two, dividing the butter and oil in half, then adding 1 tablespoon of each for each pan.) Put in the oil and butter, and turn on the heat to medium high. When the butter foam begins to subside, turn the shanks in the flour, coating them on both sides, shake off excess flour, and slip them into the pan.
2. Brown the meat deeply on both sides, then sprinkle with salt and several grindings of pepper, turn the shanks, and add the wine. Adjust heat to cook at a very slow simmer, and cover the pan, setting the lid slightly ajar.
3. After 10 minutes or so, look into the pan to see if the liquid has become insufficient to continue cooking. If, as is likely, this is the case, add ⅓ cup warm water. Check the pan from time to time, and add more water as needed. The total cooking time will come to 2 or 2½ hours: The shanks are done when the meat comes easily away from the bone and is tender enough to be cut with a fork. When done, transfer the veal to a warm plate, using a slotted spoon or spatula.
4. Add the chopped lemon peel and parsley to the pan, turn the heat up to medium, and stir for about 1 minute with a wooden spoon, loosening cooking residues from the bottom and sides, and reducing any runny juices in the pan. Return the shanks to the pan, turn them briefly in the juices, then transfer the entire contents of the pan to a warm platter and serve at once.
Ahead-of-time note The light, fragrant flavor of this particular ossobuco does not withstand refrigeration well, so it is not advisable to prepare it very long in advance. It can certainly be made early on the day it is to be served; reheat it in the pan it was cooked in, covered, over low heat, for 10 or 15 minutes until the meat is warmed all the way through. If the juices in the pan become insufficient, replenish with 1 or 2 tablespoons water.
Stinco—Braised Whole Veal Shank, Trieste Style
Stinco is Italian for what Trieste’s dialect calls schinco, a veal shank slowly braised whole, then served carved off the bone in very thin slices. It comes from the same part of the hind leg that Milan uses for ossobuco, whose succulent quality it shares, but unlike ossobuco, it is not made with tomatoes. The anchovies that are part of the flavor base dissolve and become undetectable, but they contribute subtly to the depth of taste that is the distinctive feature of this dish. Stinco, or schinco, tastes best when cooked entirely over the stove in the classic Italian pan-roasting method.
For 8 servings
2 whole veal shanks (see note below)
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons butter
½ cup chopped onion
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
⅓ cup dry white wine
6 flat anchovy fillets (preferably the ones prepared at home as described)
Note The shanks must come from the hind leg. Have the joint at the broad end of the shank sawed off flat so that the bone can be brought to the table standing up, surrounded by the carved slices. Also have the butcher take off enough of the bone at the narrow end to expose the marrow, which, at table, can be picked out with a narrow implement and is most delectable.
1. Stand the shanks on their broad ends and, with a sharp knife, loosen the skin, flesh, and tendons at the narrow end. This will cause the meat, as it cooks, to come away from the bone at that end, and to gather in a plump mass at the base of the shank, giving the stinco a shape like that of a giant lollypop. If you find this difficult to do when the meat is raw, try it after 10 minutes’ cooking, when it becomes much easier.
2. Lightly mash the garlic with a knife handle, just hard enough to split the skin, which you will loosen and discard.
3. You will need a heavy-bottomed pot, preferably oval in shape, that can subsequently snugly accommodate both shanks. Put in the oil and butter, turn on the heat to medium high, and when the butter foam begins to subside, put in both shanks.
4. Turn the shanks over to brown the veal deeply all over, then lower the heat to medium and add the chopped onion, nudging it in between the meat to the bottom of the pot.
5. Cook the onion, stirring, until it becomes colored gold. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and wine. Let the wine simmer for about 1 minute, turning the shanks once or twice, then add the anchovy fillets, turn the heat down to very low, and cover the pot, setting the lid slightly ajar. Cook for about 2 hours, until the meat feels very tender when prodded with a fork. Turn the veal over from time to time. Whenever there is so little liquid in the pot that the meat begins to stick to the bottom, add ⅓ cup water and turn the shanks.
6. When the veal is done, lay the shank down on a cutting board, and carve the meat into thin slices, cutting at an angle, diagonally toward the bone. Stand the carved bones on their broader end on a warm serving platter and spread the slices of meat at their base.
7. Pour ⅓ cup water into the pot in which you cooked the meat, turn the heat up to high, and boil away the water using a wooden spoon to loosen all cooking residues from the bottom and sides. Pour the pot juices over the slices of veal and serve at once.
Ahead-of-time note The entire dish can be made several hours in advance. When doing so, instead of pouring the pot juices over the veal, put the sliced meat into the pot together with the bones. Reheat over gentle heat just before serving, turning the slices in the juice. Arrange on a warm platter as described above, and serve at once. Use the dish the same day you make it, because its flavor will deteriorate if kept overnight.
Veal Scaloppine with Marsala
For 4 servings
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound veal scaloppine, cut from the top round, and flattened as described
Flour, spread on a plate
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
½ cup dry Marsala wine
1. Put the oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet and turn on the heat to medium high.
2. When the fat is hot, dredge both sides of the scaloppine in flour, shake off excess flour, and slip the meat into the pan. Brown them quickly on both sides, about half a minute per side if the oil and butter are hot enough. Transfer them to a warm plate, using a slotted spoon or spatula, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. (If the scaloppine don’t all fit into the pan at one time without overlapping, do them in batches, but dredge each batch in flour just before slipping the meat into the pan; otherwise the flour will become soggy and make it impossible to achieve a crisp surface.)
3. Turn the heat on to high, add the Marsala, and while it boils down, scrape loose with a wooden spoon all browning residues on the bottom and sides. Add the second tablespoon of butter and any juices the scaloppine may have shed on the plate. When the juices in the pan are no longer runny and have the density of sauce, turn the heat down to low, return the scaloppine to the pan, and turn them once or twice to baste them with the pan juices. Turn out the entire contents of the pan onto a warm platter and serve at once.
Veal Scaloppine with Marsala and Cream
IN THIS VARIATION on the classic veal and Marsala theme, cream is introduced to soften the wine’s emphatic accent without robbing it of any of its flavor. It becomes a rather more gentle dish than it is in its standard edition.
For 4 servings
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound veal scaloppine, cut from the top round, and flattened as described
Flour, spread on a plate
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
½ cup dry Marsala wine
⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
1. Put the oil and butter into a skillet, turn on the heat to medium high, and when the butter foam begins to subside, dredge the scaloppine in flour and cook them exactly as described in Step 2 of Veal Scaloppine with Marsala.
2. Turn the heat on to high, put into the pan any juices the scaloppine may have shed on the plate and the Marsala. While the wine boils down, scrape loose with a wooden spoon all browning residues on the bottom and sides. Add the cream and stir constantly until the cream is reduced and bound with the juices in the pan into a dense sauce.
3. Turn the heat down to medium, return the scaloppine to the pan, and turn them once or twice to coat them well with sauce. Turn out the entire contents of the pan onto a warm platter and serve at once.
Veal Scaloppine with Lemon
For 4 servings
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 pound veal scaloppine, cut from the top round, and flattened as described
Flour, spread on a plate
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons parsley chopped very fine
½ lemon, sliced very thin
1. Put the oil and 2 tablespoons of butter into a skillet, turn on the heat to medium high, and when the butter foam begins to subside, dredge the scaloppine in flour and cook them exactly as described in Step 2 of Veal Scaloppine with Marsala.
2. Off heat, add the lemon juice to the skillet, using a wooden spoon to scrape loose the browning residues on the bottom and sides. Swirl in the remaining tablespoon of butter, put in any juices the scaloppine may have shed in the plate, and add the chopped parsley, stirring to distribute it evenly.
3. Turn on the heat to medium and return the scaloppine to the pan. Turn them quickly and briefly, just long enough to warm them and coat them with sauce. Turn out the entire contents of the pan onto a warm platter, garnish the platter with lemon slices, and serve at once.
Note One sometimes sees scaloppine with lemon topped with a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley. It’s perfectly all right as long as you don’t make the sauce with parsley. The color of cooked parsley contrasts unappetizingly with that of the fresh. If you use one, omit the other.
Veal Scaloppine with Mozzarella
For 4 servings
½ pound mozzarella, preferably buffalo-milk mozzarella
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound veal scaloppine, cut from the top round, and flattened as described
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
1. Slice the mozzarella into the thinnest slices you are able to, making sure you end up with 1 slice for every scaloppine.
2. Choose a sauté pan that can subsequently accommodate all the scaloppine without overlapping. (If you do not have a single pan that large, use two, dividing the butter and oil in half, then adding 1 tablespoon of each for each pan.) Put in the butter and oil, and turn on the heat to high.
3. When the butter foam begins to subside, put in the scaloppine. Brown them quickly on both sides, about 1 minute altogether if the fat is hot enough. Sprinkle with salt and turn the heat down to medium.
4. Place a slice of mozzarella on each of the scaloppine, and sprinkle with pepper. Put a cover on the pan for the few seconds it will take for the mozzarella to soften. Using a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer the veal to a warm serving platter, the mozzarella-topped side facing up.
5. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons water to the pan, turn the heat up to high, and while the water boils away, scrape the cooking residues from the bottom and sides with a wooden spoon. Pour the few dark drops of pan juices over the scaloppine, stippling the mozzarella, and serve at once.
Veal Scaloppine with Tomato, Oregano, and Capers
For 4 servings
2½ tablespoons vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 pound veal scaloppine, cut from the top round, and flattened as described
Flour, spread on a plate
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
⅓ cup dry white wine
½ cup canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, with their juice
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon fresh oregano OR ½ teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons capers, soaked and rinsed as described if packed in salt, drained if in vinegar
1. Put the oil and garlic in a skillet, turn on the heat to medium, and cook the garlic until it becomes colored a light nut brown. Remove it from the pan and discard it.
2. Turn up the heat to medium high, dredge the scaloppine in flour, and cook them exactly as described in Step 2 of Veal Scaloppine with Marsala, transferring them to a warm plate when done.
3. Over medium-high heat, add the wine, and while the wine simmers use a wooden spoon to loosen all cooking residues on the bottom and sides. Add the chopped tomatoes with their juice, stir to coat well, add the butter and any juices the scaloppine may have shed on the plate, stir, and adjust heat to cook at a steady, but gentle simmer.
4. In 15 or 20 minutes, when the fat floats free of the tomatoes, add the oregano and capers, stir thoroughly, then return the scaloppine to the pan and turn them in the tomato sauce for about a minute until they are warm again. Turn out the entire contents of the pan onto a warm platter and serve at once.
Veal Scaloppine with Ham, Anchovies, Capers, and Grappa
For 4 servings
3 tablespoons butter
4 flat anchovy fillets (preferably the ones prepared at home as described), chopped very fine
¼ pound boiled unsmoked ham, sliced ¼ inch thick and diced fine
1½ tablespoons capers, soaked and rinsed as described if packed in salt, drained if in vinegar, and chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Flour, spread on a plate
1 pound veal scaloppine, cut from the top round, and flattened as described
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mil
l
3 tablespoons grappa (see note below)
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Note Grappa is a pungently fragrant distilled spirit made from pomace, a residue of winemaking. It is usually obtainable in stores stocking Italian wines, but it can be substituted with marc, a French spirit made like grappa. If neither is available, use calvados, French apple brandy, or a good grape brandy.
1. Put half the butter into a small saucepan, turn on the heat to very low, and add the chopped anchovies. Stir constantly as the anchovies cook, mashing them to a pulp against the sides of the pan with a wooden spoon. When the anchovies begin to dissolve, add the diced ham and chopped capers, and turn up the heat to medium. Stir thoroughly to coat well, cook for about 1 minute, then remove the pan from heat.
2. Put the oil and remaining butter in a skillet, and turn on the heat to medium high. When the butter foam begins to subside, dredge the scaloppine in flour and cook them exactly as described in Step 2 of Veal Scaloppine with Marsala.
3. Tip the skillet and spoon off most of the fat. Return to medium-high heat, add the grappa, and while it simmers quickly use a wooden spoon to loosen all cooking residues on the bottom and sides. Add the ham and anchovy mixture from the saucepan to the skillet and any juices the scaloppine may have shed on the plate, and stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients evenly. Add the cream, and reduce it briefly while stirring.
4. Return the scaloppine to the skillet, and turn them in the hot sauce for about a minute until they are completely warm again. Turn out the entire contents of the pan onto a warm platter and serve at once.
Veal Scaloppine in Parchment with Asparagus and Fontina Cheese
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Page 40