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My first attempt at Osso Buco

I have an affinity for Osso Buco that goes beyond normal. I try not to think about it too much, as the extra layer under my chin doesn’t need any more fatty goodness and marrow, however, when FreshDirect had it on sale, I couldn’t resist. I really wasn’t sure how to make it, so I found a recipe with a picture that reminded me of the ones I have preferred (most notably at Montenapo and Becco, as well as the lamb one at Charles).

The recipe wound up being very simple and basic, actually. The only thing it really requires is time. 2.5 hours of braising made it clearly a Sunday meal.

I paired it with a quick prepare, microwavable side from Fresh Direct (“Sides in a Snap” Mascarpone and Mushroom Risotto with Chives) and a steamed artichoke dipped in Roasted Garlic Butter. Adding roasted garlic to butter for dipping is my new favorite way to eat artichokes. There are few things I find more easily delightful to make than roasted garlic.

The final meal was a great combination, and the Osso Buco was good, but it just wasn’t great. I guess I really shouldn’t compare my first attempt with restaurants that are known for making it great… but I still wanted more. It was perfectly tender but the meat itself just didn’t have the same flavor. I’m not sure if this was the fault of the cut or my preparation. But I will try again and work to improve it to <3 caliber.

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RECIPE
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Osso Buco

Ingredients:

·      1/4 cup all-purpose flour

·      2 teaspoons salt

·      1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

·      2 pounds veal shank

·      3 tablespoons butter

·      3 tablespoons olive oil

·      1 cup chopped onion

·      1 cup thinly sliced carrots

·      1/2 cup chopped celery (I omitted due to hatred)

·      2 cloves garlic, crushed

·      1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

·      1 cup water

·      1 teaspoon dried basil

·      1 teaspoon dried thyme

·      3 sprigs fresh parsley (I used dried. Seemed fine)

·      1 bay leaf

Directions:

1.         In a shallow dish, stir together flour, salt, and black pepper. Dredge meat in seasoned flour. In a large skillet, melt butter with oil over medium heat. Brown meat. Remove meat from pan, and set aside.

2.         Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to drippings in pan. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes.

3.         Stir in tomato sauce, water, basil, thyme, parsley, and bay leaf. Return meat to pan. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer. Cover, and cook for 2 1/2 hours.

Tags: artichokes, fresh direct, marscapone and mushroom risotto with chives, osso buco, recipes, roasted garlic, roasted garlic butter, sides in a snap

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Categories Cooking

“Whatever Was Leftover in the Freezer Mish-Mash”

5 Nov

I packed up everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, about 5 days before the move. I thought I would make a soup with everything left in the freezer, however, I packed my immersion blender AND big pot… so that idea was out the window. So instead I heated up all the frozen goodies I had left and threw it all together with cheese (because cheese makes everything better). It actually turned out quite delicious. It included cauliflower, artichoke hearts, and brussel sprouts as well as Purdue Chicken “Short Cuts” (all from the freezer). I bought some sticky rice for a few dollars at the local Thai restaurant and topped it all with melted cheddar cheese. Put it all together and v’oila! The “Whatever Was Leftover in the Freezer Mish-Mash” was born.

It was VERY tasty (I was surprised by this since I usually am not a huge fan of frozen vegetables). I will probably make it again even if I don’t have to. It paired especially well with whatever beer was leftover in the fridge!

Tags: frozen food, leftovers, perdue short cuts, whatever was leftover in the freezer mish-mash

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Categories Cooking

We are family

26 Oct

Sometime in the last few years, my cousins all realized that we actually like one another (rather than just being stuck together). There are 10 of us and we are all within about 10 years of each others’ ages, with most of us hovering around our late twenties/early thirties at this time. Most of us also have remained in the area we grew up (North/Central New Jersey) and have spouses or boyfriends. This usually leads to 20 of us total (which I’m sure is a nightmare for wedding seating). This year, we instituted cousin’s club so we can all get together on our own (without needing the excuse of a family gathering and our parents). Our second cousin’s club was recently, so I decided to bring Mike’s now famous squash souffle (we brought it to Thanksgiving last year and it was a hit).

The night before we whipped up all the ingredients in my mixer and then poured it into the spring form. (it’s crazy simple)

We then topped it with cinnamon and set it to bake for about an hour (my spring form makes it thicker, so it bakes longer than the usual recipe… next time I may do two so it’s thinner).