Moroccan Osso Buco

When I first went to study in the South of France, it hadn’t been more than ten or twelve years since the first of their North African colonies had been liberated, and only three or four years since the last, Tunisia, had been liberated. (Boy, I’m really dating myself!) I had several friends whose parents had been “pieds-noirs,“ or “black feet”, those who had been French nationals in the territories and had to leave. Many of them had never before set foot on continental French soil.

The dinners I had at their homes were nothing like what I’d had in French restaurants or other French homes. I fell in love with the flavors, and when I worked in Paris the following summer, I sought out the many small North African restaurants in the student neighborhood, the Quartier Latin.

Still, it was years before I attacked this style of cooking, first to learn to cook it and then to teach it to others. My initial inspiration came from the fine cookbooks on the subject by Paula Wolfert.

Recently I was having friends over for dinner and had picked up veal shanks for osso buco. This is the Italian term for veal shank slices, meaning “bone with a hole”. I wondered why I couldn’t turn this into a North African dish. So I did, with considerable success.

It would typically be served with couscous, but I served it with a rice pilaf instead. Roasted asparagus made the perfect complement. The marrow in the bones is delicious, so set the table with tiny spoons or seafood forks so it can be dug out.

The spice mixture, ras el hanout, can be purchased from Penzey’s, or you can make your own from the recipe below. For our dessert, I mixed a spoonful into chocolate ganache, which I used to fill little sweet tart shells. And it is very interesting as a spice in apple or peach pie. It’s also great dusted over sliced oranges and black olives on a salad, or mixed with olive oil as a rub for poultry or pork.

Moroccan Veal Shanks

6 slices veal shanks, about 1-1/2” thick (total about four pounds)

½ cup flour

2 tsp. ras el hanout, divided

¼ cup olive oil

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

½ tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground ginger

Juice and finely grated zest of two large lemons

2 cups chicken stock

½ cup each dried apricots, halved, and golden raisins

½ cup whole blanched almonds

Garnish: slivered zest of two lemons and ¼ cup, packed, chopped cilantro

Preheat the oven to 325. Pat the veal shanks dry with a paper towel. Mix the flour with 1 tsp. ras el hanout and lightly dust the veal shanks on both sides. In a heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Brown the veal shanks on both sides, starting with the side with the larger bone end. As they are browned, remove to a roasting pan with a cover, just large enough to hold the meat in one layer. Place the smaller end down, so that the marrow remains in the bone.

In the same pan, sauté the onion and garlic in the remaining oil until very soft but not browned. Add the remaining ras el hanout, ginger and lemon juice and zest. Stir a couple of times, then add the chicken stock and dried fruit. Bring to a simmer and pour over the veal. Sprinkle the almonds around the edges, cover, and bake for two hours.

For the garnish, combine the lemon zest with the cilantro and sprinkle over the top. Serves 6.

Ras el hanout:

1 tsp. each freshly grated nutmeg, ground black pepper and ground white pepper

2 tsp. each ground cinnamon and ground cardamom

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all together. Keeps a long time at room temperature in a tightly covered jar.

Dinner at La Summa-Boston

Recently, after a visit in Massachusetts with my son and his family--including my two sweet angel grand-daughters--my sister Cindy and I had a couple of days of sisterly bonding in Boston. This mostly comprised shopping and eating. And if not eating, talking about where to eat next.

One of the musts, of course, was the North End, the Italian neighborhood. I always make time for that when I fly in and out of Boston. There are scores of wonderful Italian restaurants and a couple of great markets and at least two incredible pastry shops. Mike's Pastry Shop is my favorite.

Our first dinner was at La Summa. We chose that because it was a little off the main drag, and were happy we did. It was small and a lot quieter than most. Our server was delightful. She knew all the details of all the dishes, made appropriate suggestions, and gave perfect service. She was attentive without being intrusive.

For our first dish we split a special of the evening, Eggplant Bruschette.

The eggplant had been lightly breaded and was obviously freshly cooked. And perfectly cooked, with a creamy center and a crispy outside. The tomato topping had fresh basil, a touch of garlic and a fine fruity olive oil. Topped with shredded mozzarella and heated just enough, every bite was delicious.

Then we split the ever-present Insalata Caprese.

Although the tomatoes could have been a bit riper, I suppose we must remember that seasons aren't the same in Boston. They still had dogwood and azalea blossoms while ours have been gone for weeks and weeks. Still, the mozzarella was obviously freshly made (something I never see in Memphis, at least not since Mantia's closed!) and the olive oil was obviously a cut above standard supermarket brands, fruity with a bit of a peppery bite.

And then we split the main course the server recommended: Vitello Speciale.

It was described on the menu as "Barbara's specialty - lightly breaded veal or boneless breast of chicken layered with prosciutto, mozzarella and mushrooms in a wine reduction." Once again we were delighted with the choice. It was a substantial dish. What I show is one half of a serving, since the kitchen very considerately split it for us.  Loaded with sautéed mushrooms, in a rich Marsala wine reduction, it was the perfect ending to the meal.  Ending because there was no way we could manage dessert after all this.

And you certainly couldn't quibble with the price.  With generous servings, plenty of warm crusty bread and a bottle of very nice pinot grigio, and with a generous tip, our check was still less than $100!

Osso Buco Siciliano

I love the Italian dish known as osso buco, but in the past, at least in Memphis, the cross cut veal shanks needed were generally not easy to find. Now that I’ve found them available even at Costco, I would love to share a version I made recently for friends.

The term osso buco means hollow bone in Italian. One of the best parts of the dish is the marrow in the bones, scooped out and spread on bread. There are special scooping spoons made for this, but the only ones I could find here are quite pricey. I find a cocktail fork works almost as well, but the little scoops are on my shopping list for my next trip to Italy.

This is a tough cut of veal, but the long oven braising gives a really rich and flavorful sauce. It could also be braised on top of the stove at a very low temperature. Many Italian homes, even today, don’t have large ovens and would do that. But then you’d have to check it occasionally to make sure there’s enough liquid, and that the shanks aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pan. So much easier to put the pan in the oven and forget it!

The classic standard is "Osso Buco Milanese," with white wine, vegetables and tomato. I wanted something a little different, and tried it with dry Marsala, to give it a more Sicilian feel. With the standard version, the traditional side dish is saffron risotto, but I used grilled polenta. Rice or mashed potatoes would be equally tasty and less work. Even chunks of crusty bread would be great to soak up every bit of the tasty sauce.

OSSO BUCO ALLA MARSALA

1 ½ cups dry Marsala, divided
½ cup golden raisins
1 cup flour
1 tsp. each salt and pepper
6 pieces veal shank, cut about 1 ½-inch thick
¼ cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
½ cup onion, diced
1/2 cup chicken stock
4 or 5 sprigs fresh thyme (see note)
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Minced parsley or more thyme sprigs, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Pour ½ cup of the Marsala over the raisins in a small bowl and let set until needed.

Mix the flour with salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Add the shanks one at a time and shake to coat. Remove each to a wire rack while coating the others. Toss any remaining flour into the trash.

In a Dutch oven just large enough to hold the shanks in one layer, heat the olive oil over medium heat. In batches, brown the meat well on both sides. Remove to a plate and reserve. Add the garlic, stir a couple of times then add the onion. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the Marsala and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits. Add the chicken stock.

Return the veal to the pan with any juices on the plate, making sure the smaller end of the bone is facing down (so the marrow doesn’t fall out). Add the raisins with their soaking liquid, scattering evenly. Tuck the thyme and bay leaf around them, cover tightly and bake for about an hour. Stir the balsamic vinegar into the cooking liquid, replace the cover and cook another 15 to 30 minutes, or until veal is very tender.

If you’d like a thicker sauce, remove the shanks to a plate and keep warm while reducing the liquid over medium heat. Serve in flat soup plates with the sauce ladled over it. Garnish with additional thyme sprigs or chopped parsley.  Serves 6.

Note: If you don’t have fresh thyme substitute two tablespoons fresh or one tablespoon dried rosemary leaves. Dried thyme would not work well in this dish.