Veal Shanks With Porcini Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add veal, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. In an ovenproof Dutch oven, brown meat in oil in batches on all sides; drain., In a large skillet, saute the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in butter until tender. Return veal to the Dutch oven; top with vegetable mixture. Add tomatoes, broth, basil, thyme and bay leaves., Cover and bake 2 to 2-1/4 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaves. Just before serving, combine garnish ingredients; sprinkle over veal. Freeze option: Place individual portions to cooled meat and cooking juices in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little broth if necessary.

Steps:

• Make shanks:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pat shanks dry. Stir together flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper on a sheet of wax paper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. While oil heats, dredge 4 shanks in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Brown shanks in oil on all sides, turning with tongs, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large (17- by 12- by 2-inch) roasting pan. Add 2 tablespoons oil to skillet and repeat with remaining 4 shanks. Discard remaining flour mixture.
• Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to skillet and cook onion, garlic, anchovies, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add wine and boil, scraping up any brown bits, until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, water, zest strips, and remaining teaspoon salt and bring to a boil, then pour mixture over shanks. Tightly cover pan with foil and braise in oven 1 hour. Turn shanks over, cover, and continue to braise until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours more.
• Remove from oven and skim fat from surface of sauce, then transfer shanks and sauce to a large platter. Discard bay leaves.
• Make gremolata:
• Stir together parsley, grated zests, and garlic and sprinkle over shanks.

Steps:

• 1 Place the mushrooms in a bowl with 1 cup warm water. Let stand 30 minutes. Lift the mushrooms out of the liquid and rinse them well under running water, paying special attention to the base of the stems where soil collects. Drain and chop fine. Strain the mushroom liquid through a paper coffee filter into a bowl. Reserve the liquid. 2 In a Dutch oven large enough to hold the veal shanks side by side, or another deep, heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat the olive oil with the butter over medium heat. Add the veal and cook, turning the shanks occasionally, until browned, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 3 Scatter the mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic around the shanks and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the white wine and let simmer for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste, mushroom liquid, and herbs. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat, turning the meat occasionally, until it is very tender and comes away from the bone when tested with a fork, about 2 hours. (Add a little water if the liquid evaporates too quickly.) 4 Transfer the meat to a platter and cover to keep warm. Tip the pot and skim the fat from the juices. Discard the herbs. Boil the juices until slightly thickened. 5 Remove the strings from the veal shanks. Holding each shank by the bone, carve the meat lengthwise. Arrange the slices on a platter and spoon the juices over all. Serve immediately. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.