Get Weak in the Knees with Osso Buco

A new year stretches out before us, and even though the holidays have now come and gone, from where I stand it’s not too late to remind ourselves of all we are thankful for. We are so very blessed to live in this land of plenty … really! As a firstborn American, I know I have much to be grateful for. Maybe, as we come off the high of the holidays, we can all remember to act compassionately and appreciate the comfort foods we create, and to share a drop or slice of kindness whenever we can. 

For me, the holidays always stir up what little gray matter I have that hasn’t turned into a protein compost pile and push me down memory lane to family meals. Year-end holidays were meant for breaking out ham, fish on the dish and turkey (again?), but I also recall the rich flavors of the comfort foods my parents used to make not just in November and December, but throughout the winter months.

The thought of a creamy rich osso buco with a side of curry rice … well, that just makes me weak in the knees! My mom, Kaethe, would lean to a superior oxtail, but Bruno (my dad) would often win with his beefy version of the bony treat. Curry rice was the side of choice because my father’s mom taught him a good version. Sad to say it was never made from the grounds up, but you can experiment and make a classic curry to fit your tastes with turmeric, coriander, fennel, cumin, cloves, garlic, cinnamon, allspice, cardamom and star anise. Some people have pasta or risotto as a side, but those are people who aren’t taking the time to write these words of wisdom.

If you can find a butcher these days, what a carnivorous delight. Fishmongers are even harder. (Casablanca Fish Market on the Miami River still rules.) I find the average supermarket rarely has a hock bone worth a damn now, let alone a shank to cry for. Their vendors pre-cut the shanks kind of thin, so it cooks too fast – I like them thick and with a big bone (don’t you think that sounds naughty?). You can also use veal, which is really more tender, but it’s your call on the flavor profile. I’ve found that the butchers at Price Choice are very accommodating and happy to cut me a few two-inch slabs of marrow-filled goodness. 

Did you know that in the finer carnivorous lairs of them big cities, they even have special demitasse spoons to scoop out that creamy cholesterol progenitor? Wow! That’s the peak of civilization for all you hungry kids. There’s just that one small tube holding the marrow, and it is a tasty treat during the meal. Funny how my dad used to pilfer it a bit when he was cooking, but it’s the chef’s prerogative to “taste” before serving.

As I write these confessional columns of cultural culinary capers, I see patterns forming here. I no longer enjoy the lacey cover formed by beautiful snowflakes on the windows of my “ancestral home” in Greenvale, New York. (This small byproduct town is in Long Island next to Roslyn, the latter made famous by that great HBO movie, “Bad Education,” starring Hugh Jackman). I see patterns of decline and loss of services. How the hell can one make a proper osso buco with a super thin, starved cut of shank? Impossible, bombastic, rude and downright nasty to cut “short” my shank. Where are the proper butchers these days? Trained and skilled artisans of their ilk are fewer and farther between – when was the last time you found a butcher shop? The supermarkets just can’t cater to all our diverse requests anymore. 

Just like the Mad Men who dominated the advertising business when I was in the thick of it, the great carvers of the flesh have gone the way of the liquid lunch. Fewer martinis … Pppfffft! Once upon a time, meaty prime rib coma-inducing lunches were SOP, but we have bowed to the vegan solution. “I’ll have the kale salad?” Granted, we all have to get on board about saving the planet and staying healthier in a more toxic hormone-filled world, but OMG. I know this is actually becoming more truth than dare, because it takes 40 or 50 times more water and resources to sprout a cow than it does to make that tofu. Considering the production costs of beef in the food chain, the planet will ultimately be better under vegan rule. 

Still, this column is about the comforts of the flesh. (Doesn’t that sound naughty too?) Balance may be key, but this moment is about savory meat. Though I may in future have to give up a recipe for tofu in a fine Fukienese dish of baby bok choy with eggplant that I once tasted on Division Street in New York City. For now, find a great butcher and appreciate their skills. Or suss out a great farmers market and support those back-to-the-land entrepreneurs who provide healthier food sourcing. Free-range produce does taste better, and if your carrots look like knobby-kneed trolls from the tale of Tolkien, so be it. Not all beans are straight and ugly tomatoes are really pretty after all. But enough concession speeches, let’s beef it up now.

Shop safely, wear a mask and gloves, and get ready to slow simmer. 

CHEF SID’S OSSO BUCO

INGREDIENTS

• 2 butcher-cut beef shanks, about 2˝ thick and 1.2 pounds each (Remove the tendons surrounding the meat and tie with butchers twine if it starts to separate a tad.)

• Kosher salt and pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup flour (For dredging the shanks.)

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil + a few pats of butter

• 3 medium-sized yellow onions, cut into rings

• 2 cloves crushed garlic

• 1 bag fresh long carrots, washed, peeled and rough cut

• A few bay leaves

• 3 cups beef stock (You can cheat and use the Progresso cartons.)

• 1/2 cup white wine (I like a Riesling because then I can drink the rest.)

• 3 cups cooked rice of choice

• 1/2 tablespoon curry powder (There are a lot of choices out there – a fun version I found is from our very own Miami, badiaspices.com, or try myspicesage.com. Though the latter could use more fennel and coriander for my tastes.)

• 1/4 cup Italian parsley

• Small box fresh small portobello mushrooms, cut into thick slices

• 1/4 cup sour cream

PREPARATION

• Dry meat with paper towels and bring shanks to room temperature.

• Sprinkle kosher salt and fresh ground pepper on meat, then dredge well in flour, smacking off the extra.

• In a large Dutch oven (thick walls are good) add oil and heat until smoking, drop in shanks and brown on both sides for no more than 2 1/2 minutes on each side (add butter pats when doing side two), just to sear up the flavor. Remove from pot and set aside.

• Add onion, garlic, carrots and bay leaves to pot and sauté until a bit translucent but not caramelized.

• Add seared shanks back to the pot and add the stock and wine to begin the slow-and-low simmer process.

• At this point you might want to make about three cups of cooked rice. Add that curry powder, a dollop of butter and the parsley after the rice is done.

• Add the sliced mushrooms to the pot after about an hour into cooking the shanks, so they don’t overcook. Use the lowest heat possible for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender. Just before serving, my dad would always add “his” sour cream into the sauce and mix it well and even.

When the meat becomes tender, it’s time to serve up the – dare I say it? – “Southern” comfort. (We are in Miami, after all.) At the start of the meal, I will work on getting my tiny spoon into the bone to scoop out the buttery marrow for one good taste. Not a worry about my cholesterol level when comfort foods are on the line. Inside this column holds the key to next month’s dish. I promise it will be a piece devoted to the vegan side of the kitchen. Are you smelling what I’m tellin’?

© Sid Hoeltzell – Wynwood 2020