there’s a pretty amusing backstory as to why i created this dish, but that’s for another day. what i will say is that it was quite fabulous. the sauce wound up taking on a life if its own, as at one point a bad flick of the wrist had rendered it nearly inedible and it needed to be somehow fixed. luckily the culinary gods were with me and i had on hand just the very thing to bring it back home with grace. honestly, this was a serious sauce… and having no formal training whatsoever, i was really pleased that not only was it saved, but it was enhanced tenfold.

veal shanks. a beautiful cut of meat. perfect for a winter’s braise. osso buco. something i love to cook that hadn’t seen rotation in awhile. i don’t use the typical ingredients so perhaps this particular treatment of the shanks can no longer be considered ‘osso buco’, translated as ‘pierced bone’. but regardless of its proper name, it was superb.

i’m avoiding the recipe format because this dish just came along on its own. i urge you to make this – and to wing it. keep tasting. then adjust. i posted about this awhile back and there you’ll find a similar recipe for reference.

flour, salt and pepper the meat and brown in olive oil. remove from the pan and set aside. add about 5 oz of finely minced pancetta until it’s rendered and browned. next add about 4 finely minced anchovies (the good ones that need to be filleted). when they melt away, next to go in is about 3 cloves of finely minced garlic. after about a minute pour about 10 oz of white wine – i used a pinot grigio – and reduce. return the veal to the pan and add veal stock (chicken will do…) about halfway up the sides of the meat.

braise for about 90 minutes, basting often. the remaining liquid was strained through a chinois and put back on the stove. i added about 3 oz (maybe more) of butter in pieces until it was glassy and coated the spoon. then i tasted. too salty. damn. DAMN. anchovies are salty little buggers and i threw in a healthy pinch of salt not long after i added them. silly girl. not good. what to do? slight panic. think, claudia, think.

i spy a bottle on the shelf under my kitchen work table. it’s port. so i grab it and add some to a small espresso cup of the sauce. EXCELLENT. then i added about 5 oz of port – incrementally – to the rest. FREAKIN UNREAL. did i just make this? yes? high five!

the polenta was made the good old fashioned way. water, salt and the polenta stirred for about 15 minutes and then left alone to do its thing. when it was done it was hit with a sizable amount of mascarpone. the brussels sprouts were simply caramelized in oil, butter and salt.

definitely rich. definitely a winter dish. wonderful nuanced home cooking, layered with great flavors.

you go girl.

so here’s the deal. i love calf’s liver. but i rarely get to have it because it’s seemingly not very popular here in these southern parts. up until recently, i couldn’t even procure a piece unless i committed to the entire liver. which was not going to happen – my love knows bounds…

but saturday we were at ‘whole foods’ and while perusing the meat case, i spotted some, all shimmery and liver’y. it must be a new product addition to our particular store, so as you might imagine, i was pretty excited. cary won’t touch the stuff so we bought him a dry aged ny strip and i got my calf’s liver - which, if calculating ounce for ounce is 1/3 the price. (note: they charged me for a veal rack instead of the liver – which was double the price. i noticed this when i got home and now i have to deal with it, though ‘whole foods’ is always good about this kind of thing.)

as a kid, my mom would make this on occasion and i’d be lying if i told you that i was happy about it at the time. but in those days we ate what was served and grimaced through the dinner. there was no feeding it to the dog we didn’t have. there was no hiding chewed up and spit out mouthfuls in my napkin and dumping the contents into houseplants or behind the drapes. i ate it. it wasn’t my favorite, but i lived to tell the tale and learned to not only appreciate calf’s liver, but to actually love it. especially when i first had it served with apples and bacon. total wow…

this past july when i was in nyc i had a great lunch at felidia’s, with my secundo being an amazing calf’s liver dish. it was served with a mix of farro and polenta and the meat was finished with sautéed shallots and a reduction of balsamic vinegar. it was definitely one of the better things that i had eaten that trip – hands down. so this was an opportunity to recreate it. and i love a challenge, minor as this one might have been.

so i grabbed my molto italiano book and with mario’s help (on page 405), he once again showed me the way, the light and the truth. for the polenta, i kept it pretty light and simple and just added some grated parmigiano at the end.

fegato alla veneziano
inspired by lidia bastianich from felidia restaurant in nyc
adapted from molte italiano by mario batali

flour seasoned with salt and pepper to dredge the liver
2 T olive oil
1 T butter
1/2 lb. calf’s liver cut into 1/4" slices
1 cup sliced shallots
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 T chopped parsley

heat the olive oil in a 10" sauté pan until very hot but not smoking and add the butter. when the foam subsides, dredge the liver in the seasoned flour and cook until brown on one side, about 4 minutes. transfer the liver to a warm plate.

add the shallots to the pan and cook until very soft, about 6 minutes. add the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. place the liver on top of the onions, uncooked side down, reduce heat to medium and cook until just cooked through - about 5 minutes.

so i got it all together, plated it as nicely as i was willing, snapped a few photos, poured myself a glass of a surprisingly good argentinean malbec (terrazas reserva 2004) and took a bite…

really bad. like, really really b.a.d.

it was the liver. something was off. not rotten, more like, well, shitty. as in shit tasting. as in if i had ever eaten shit, which although proverbially, i may have – in reality i have not – but had i, i would imagine this would be close to what it would be like.

and i’m trying to figure out where i went wrong. or was it just the meat? did i dredge it too early? did i undercook it for fear of overcooking it? i can’t figure it out… the buttery shallots with balsamic were truly wonderful and the polenta was just right for the dish. as i gingerly ate the end pieces of the liver which were seemingly the least offensive, i sadly realized, i had to let it go.

but i have cats! and so i cut it all up into little pieces and gave it to my little guy merle. and he scarfed it down like there’d be no tomorrow. he’s almost 15 and weighs less than 7 lbs and he likes to eat animals. preferably dead and cooked as his hunting days are now behind him.

then the little guy went to sleep.

an hour later i heard it.

he puked it all up.

when i first read this recipe in ‘molto italiano’, batali’s introductory words to the dish included the sentence, "as i get older i am liking simpler things – based on the best ingredients", the letters jumped off the page and italian-kissed me firmly on the lips – with feeling.  and then i fell in love with mario all over again, and i knew this dish would be mine.  because i suppose i can’t have mario.  not that i think i’d necessarily want mario – although he sure would be one helluva entertaining guy to be around on a regular basis.  and breakfast in bed would surely rock… that is if cary would just move over a smidge.

but getting back to reality, you look at this ingredient list and the way it all comes together and the next thing you know, you’re thinking, not only can i make this with ease, but i will be a rock star.  maybe not in the bono category but definitely, michael stipes.

.
(these rolls are too close together, which is another way of saying i made a mistake…)

except for one thing.  because if you think that skewering the rosemary through these babies (how true a word if there ever was one) was easy, you are so wrong that you don’t even know how wrong you are. and for the record, this rosemary was not of the flimsy kind.  it was branchy rosemary.  and still the rolls needed to first get punctured with metal skewers – and only then could the rosemary travel the distance.  mario fails to mention this, probably because either he’s not the skewer’er and/or the veal from my calf could’ve kicked the veal from his calf’s ass.  i’m telling you, we had some seemingly tough veal.  because i swear we pounded the meat as thin as could be, but once they’re all rolled up… well, all i’m saying is that until we arrived at a viable technique it was a struggle - and i don’t think that in the end, it even imparted much flavor.  it was just a cool presentation factor…

but – that’s all merely a technical difficulty, right?  the true integrity of this dish was not breached in any way. 

involtini alla siciliana
adapted from ‘molte italiano’ by mario batali

i made the executive decision to toast the pine nuts.  mario, does not mention this at all.  listen to mario or listen to me.  the choice is yours.  this is america and you are a free citiizen, although probably in debt.

8 slices veal top round, about 4 oz each
1 cup freshly grated pecorino romano
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped italian parsley
1/4 cup pine nuts – toasted
1/4 cup dried currants soaked in warm water 1 hour, drained
8 sprigs of woody rosemary about 5 inches long
salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil

preheat the grill
using a mallet, pound each slice of veal between 2 oiled pieces of tin foil to 1/16", careful not to tear the meat
lay each piece out on a work surface
in a medium bowl, stir together the pecorino, bread crumbs, parsley, pine nuts and currants
season the meat and divide the mixture among the veal, spreading it out thinly
roll each piece up tightly, starting from a short side and secure with toothpicks
lay 2 veal rolls side by side, about 1/2" apart and skewer with the rosemary
repeat to make 3 more sets of veal
season with salt and pepper and brush with olive oil
grill turning once for 3 to 4 minutes a side until nicely charred but still medium
serve immediately with something green

it’s a great dinner party dish. assemble earlier in the day and then grill quickly just before everyone sits down.  i served the veal rolls with grilled lemony, garlicky asparagus. it was an overall hit, but you know how it goes in the world of blogging… doubtful to ever be seen again.

onwards…

another first for me. i had bought the shank on a whim and promptly put it in my freezer. so now, about a month later and before it got too warm to dine on braised meat in a rich sauce, i decided to try my hand at the classic dish, osso buco.and then i looked in nearly every book i own, and then online – and after some serious consideration, decided to go with a more non-traditional take on the dish. no mirepoix for me, no tomato, no gremolata. instead, based on what i’d read and after poking around my pantry and fridge, i devised what i believe to be an ‘original plan’ for my shank.

but first i googled ‘anchovies and pancetta’ to see if they’d ever been known to co-mingle in a bonafide recipe. and sure enough, marcella hazan in her book ‘marcella says’, does a pot roast called ‘arrosto di manzo alla novarese’ – beefy chuck roast, stovetop-braised in the style of novara in piemonte, using both anchovies and pancetta (along with mustard and vinegar). and dear readers, that was all i needed to know…i served the osso buco with a polenta barely tinged with some parmigiano, alongside some french beans quickly sauteed in olive oil and garlic. but as good as the veal was – and it was really so very good, the marrow was just otherworldly. scooped out with my tiny espresso spoons onto some ciabatta… the pinnacle of umami.

osso buco alla ceF

4 veal shank sliced in 2 – 3 inch pieces
2 – 3 T olive oil
flour for dredging
salt and pepper
3 ounces pancetta – finely chopped
5 or 6 anchovies – finely chopped
3 cloves minced garlic
white wine – 1 1/2 cup
veal or chicken stock – about 2 cups

lightly flour the shank pieces and then salt and pepper
brown the shanks well on both sides in the olive oil remove to a plate and set aside
add the pancetta to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes on low to medium heat
add the anchovies for about another 3 minutes and then the garlic for another 2
deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce it down almost all the way
add back the veal and cover the meat halfway with the stock
cover the pan and simmer for 90 minutes remove the shanks carefully.

i didn’t tie mine and they held together just fine. strain the liquid that’s left in the pan (i saved the pancetta pieces for a pizza later in the week) and then return strained liquid – i had about 2/3 cup, to the pan and then add about 2 or 3 T butter to make a sauce.

taste, adjust, serve.

oh, and fresh blackberries with melted pralus madagascar chocolate for dessert. eaten with our fingers, without a care in the world…

party at my place.  a friend’s big birthday.  cooking for 10.  coming up with the right menu.  making sure things work together and that i’m not making too much.  too little.  too complicated. 

but before i go on i’ve just got to make a local mention.  because if anyone from nashville is reading, what’s VERY good news around here is ‘lazzaroli‘.  and i mean VERY good news.  nashville finally has a real live italian market stocked with real live italian made-on-the-premises fresh pastas in all shapes and flavors along with many interesting raviolis and great cheeses, oils, olives, vinegars, sausages, salamis and yes, even my beloved cannolis.  plus the owner is a real live italian american from: not-from-here.  and that right there, that totally matters bigtime.  the wannabes screw it all up…

i decided to go with one of my favorite italian dinners – the trio of pastas.  i’ve encountered this in italy on a few different occasions and it seemed like a fine idea for this gathering.  the inspiration was from a new book that arrived in my mail box last week.  i’d heard about ‘pasta fresca‘ by viana la place and evan kleiman, on some blog, somewhere, awhile back.  after reading through it this past weekend, i immediately ordered another copy for a friend.  (amazon used books – love it.)  it’s the kind of cookbook i can relate to and really use.  italian food needs to never be complicated.  few ingredients but the very best quality.  it’s so my kinda thing.

so last night when cary got home and before our friends arrived i said, “smell that?  that’s pure italian.”  the oregano, thyme, garlic, lemon, shrimp, veal – add some heat and the mix is absolutely intoxicating.  it’s like walking into your favorite restaurant and wanting to order whatever it is that’s wafting through the air.  but it’s not any one dish – it’s everything.

we started with some beautiful heirlooms, sliced and then rebuilt with basil leaves and buffalo mozarella placed inbetween the layers.  scattered around the three tomato towers were some chunked yellow heirlooms, jalepeno stuffed green olives, and a wonderful chianti sausage from ‘volpi‘ in st.louis that tom lazzaro recommended.  add to that a great bread and some olive oil and this alone would make a perfect dinner.

but it was a party and i was going for the bigger spread.  so now i had to choose my trio.  i suppose the whole idea is to have them be as different from each other as possible without a serious clash.  i decided upon 1/ a fresh fettucine in a lemon and black olive sauce, 2/ a rustic spaghettini from sicily with shrimp, garlic, oregano, chili peppers, breadcrumbs and fennel tops. and lastly, 3/ rotelle – or as we’d call them cartwheels – ground veal combined with onion, fresh thyme sprigs, and lemon zest in a tomato based cream sauce.  and i got all three from ‘pasta fresca’.  and they were all three just excellent.  as good as anything i’ve ever had in italy. 

and that right there i know is a big bold statement – and perhaps a bit of selective memory.

(the ‘rustic plum cake‘ making a second appearance – this time made in the right sized 9″ pan (cary offered to buy me one and it was his idea and everything – very impressive), the plums were right side up and then the cake was dusted with the obligatory powdered sugar.  much nicer.  i made two.  and once again, i say – go find yourself some plums and get baking.  it’s easy and it’s almondy delicious.)