As winter kicks in my new found obsession with braised meats only seems to intensify.  The italian conversation ender on this topic is osso bucco.  I can’t seem to think of anything funny to say about slow cooking a baby cow’s leg.  Rice isn’t funny for an entirely different reason.  Cute over boring, it’s all a treat though, eat it up.

Osso Bucco

Ingredients

• 3 veal shank cuts
• 5 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced carrot
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 bottle red wine
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped sage
• beef broth

Directions

Preheat oven to 325. Dredge the veal in flour, knocking off excess and salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large Dutch oven on high heat, and melt butter in olive oil. Once everything is very hot put the veal in, and leave it longer than you think you should. When you flip it, it should have a deep rich brown crust. Do the same on the other side. Remove veal, and drain all but 1 or 2 tbsp of oil. Reduce heat to medium and add all the veg and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil. Add spices, tomatoes to combine and add seared veal. Add enough beef broth to just cover the veal, stir. Cover and put in oven and cook for 2 hours.

Risotto

Ingredients

• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 1/2 tsp saffron
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan
• 2 tbsp butter

Directions

Bring chicken broth to a simmer  in a sauce pan.  In a separate pot, heat oil and add onions on medium high heat for 5 minutes.  Add garlic and rice, and stir for 3 minutes.  Add wine and saffron and stir.  The next part is tedious.  Add chicken broth, 1 ladle at a time, stirring and cooking each scoop down until you can clearly see the bottom of the pot when you pull a spoon through the rice before adding the next.  Continue to do this until rice is puffed up, a bit al dente but not crunchy.  Remove from heat and add cheese and butter, and mix well.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Put one of those dishes on the other.  You can choose which goes where.