Ossobuco con Farro "Carol"

        Ossobuco is, of course, a well known dish from Milan that doesn't need my help. The perfect accompaniment is Risotto Milanese, a wonderfully fragrant risotto made with Saffron. The flavors just magically work with each other. This doesn't happen as often as one would think, given the endless variations of food!

        A few months ago, my niece Carol suggested I try cooking with Farro. I had never used this ancient grain before. So I have been experimenting ever since. It occurred to me that perhaps adding Saffron to the cooking water would produce additional flavor and color. I was right! Then when I saw a couple of nice-looking veal shanks at my butcher, the idea was born to combine Ossobuco with Saffron-Farro.

        There are a few variations of Ossobuco, so I chose to make this a little lighter in flavor. I also thought I would name the dish for my beautiful niece, although a little hesitantly: you see, she eats very healthy food. This meal certainly doesn't fall into the "nuts and berries" category. I hope my cardiologist never reads this blog. But hey, Carol, if you eat carefully 90% of the time, you can certainly liven it up the remaining 10%!

        Ossobuco has one other ingredient. This is a Gremolata. Minced parsley, lemon zest and garlic are added to the dish when it is finished. This produces a bright flavor over the soft flavors of the Ossobuco itself. A wonderful final layer, don't omit this!!

        The cooking time for my Farro was based upon the package instructions. Follow your package's instructions.

        Now to the wine. Ossobuco actually uses white wine in its preparation. Whenever this happens, I like to use the same wine to drink with the meal. I have a case of Domaine Garnier Chablis(2010) in my wine cellar, and thought this would be a good "maiden voyage" for the wine. It really is supposed to wait until 2015, but I can't wait (the other 11 bottles can do the waiting). It's supposed to be a pretty fine example. The two brothers, Jérôme and Xavier have been producing some nice stuff. Of course I am writing this after I have drunk this wine and can report it is truly lovely. It has some body but is dry and has subtle flavors. It feels as though it will develop even further in the next few years. Now... can I keep my hands out of that case until then???

Domaine Garnier

Location (red dot)

        On to the meal. This doesn't take much doing. In keeping with the tradition of fine Italian cooking: have ingredients of excellent quality and don't overwhelm them with complex sauces. The shanks are going to braise for about two hours (until they are very tender), while the Farro takes less than half an hour to cook. Most of the preparation is basic, so from the time I started, it was 2½ hours or so until I was eating, and much of that time was devoted to working on the Times crossword.

Ingredients

Most of the Ingredients

   For the Farro

        ½     cup     Farro

        1½   cups   Water

        1      pinch  Saffron

        ¼     cup     Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

        6      small   Mushrooms

        1      Tbs.    Butter

   For the Ossobuco 

        2      ½ lb.   Veal shanks

                           dusting flour

        1                 medium Onion, minced

        1                 medium Carrot, minced

        1                 Celery stalk, minced

        2      oz.      Ham, diced

        4      Tbs.    unsalted Butter

        14    oz.      the finest Plum Tomatoes, chopped

        ½     cup     dry White Wine 

                           salt and freshly ground pepper

   For the Gremolata 

        Zest of one Lemon

        One clove Garlic

        One cup Parsley

Method

Melt 4 Tbs. Butter in a heavy pan over low heat. Add the diced Ham and cook for about 2 minutes.

Ham added

Raise the heat a little. Dust Veal Shanks in a little flour and brown until golden, about 5 minutes per side.

Shanks added

While you are doing this, remove the ham (when it starts to color) and reserve. When the shanks are nicely browned, remove them.

Add the minced Onion, Celery and Carrots to the pan and stir them while they start to become transparent.

Veggies added

 Now add the half-cup of White Wine and deglaze the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, scraping the pan.

Deglazing with Wine

Then add the chopped Tomatoes and also the reserved Ham, mixing everything well.

Tomatoes added

Place the Veal on top of the vegetables and season with some salt and freshly ground pepper.

Cover and keep at the barest simmer for 2 hours, or until the Veal is very tender. Check from time to time, making sure there is enough liquid in the pan. If not, add a little water. You want the shanks to braise in a little liquid, but not a lot.

About half-way (1 hour)

While the Ossobuco simmers, prep the ingredients for the Gremolata and Farro.

Gremolata: Mince the Parsley with the Garlic. Grate in the zest of a lemon, mix together and reserve.

Farro: Clean the button Mushrooms. Grate about ¼ cup Cheese. Measure 1½ cups water into a small pan. add a pinch of Salt and a pinch of Saffron. Rinse the Farro and add it to the water.

About 20 minutes before the Veal is done, bring the Farro mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat and let it boil gently for about 15 - 20 minutes. Taste it toward the end. It should be plump but not too crunchy. While the Farro is cooking, heat a tablespoon of butter in a small pan and gently sauté the Mushrooms for about 10 minutes.

Farro and Mushrooms cooking

When the Farro is done, drain off the water and fold in the Mushrooms and Cheese. Toss this all together.

When the Veal is done, sprinkle the gremolata over the top of the shanks and mix a little into the sauce. Turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 5 - 10 minutes.

Gremolata added

To plate, I spread the Farro in the center of each plate and placed a Veal shank on top, adding a little sauce around the edges.

Usually this is served with a small fork for picking out the marrow of the bone to be eaten along with the gremolata. A wonderful treat!