Sunday 31 March 2013

A Hole in One!

Osso Buco in Bianco allo Zenzero con Polenta & Cicoria
Osso Buco in White Wine & Ginger, with Polenta and Chicoree


This rustic little feast was my Easter Sunday treat- and doesn't everyone love "Osso Buco"?
You can say what you want... but no expensive cut of meat is as tasty as a cheaper cut that has stewed for longer- especially meat that is cooked on the bone.

I wanted to do something a little different with my osso buco though, so I decided on do without the traditional red wine and tomato sauce and to cook it in a lighter and more flavorful manner- with celery, parsnip, ginger, cloves and garlic, this really WAS something else!


In a very hot saucepan, I quickly browned off the beef shank from all sides and then added the other ingredients- finely chopped onion, celery, garlic and ginger, a couple of cloves, a leaf of bay... and then deglazed the saucepan with a good splash of white wine and then swiftly followed it with a little more boiling water. All of this picked up the flavors from the saucepan wonderfully- so basically all of the hard work was done! I turned down the heat to a low simmer and let it sit for the next couple of hours... mmm!

In the meantime, first I steamed and then sautéed the chicoree in a little olive oil. I seasoned it with salt, pepper and nutmeg and set it to one side to remain warm.

And then the polenta! I prepared the polenta by bringing just a little water to the boil and dissolving 3 tablespoons of polenta down into a soft paste of sorts. I then added the broth that had been created during simmering the beef shank and stirred it in well... and soon enough I had very flavorful polenta on my hands- as if by magic! Well- after a further 15 minutes of stirring at least!

I served the osso buco on top of the polenta, with a portion of chicoree greens, a sprinkle of pepper and a scattering of freshly chopped parsley. All of the finely chopped ingredients I used for the broth had become by now a fine, golden mince with lots of flavor... so I spooned them over the top of the meat as an extra treat... it was pretty delicious! And I do hope that you all like it!

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