Risotto Milanese

Yield: serves 4

Ingredients

6 cups chicken stock

1 tbsp. saffron threads

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 small yellow onions, minced

2 cups Arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

2 oz. raw bone marrow (optional)

1⁄2 cup grated Parmesan

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Heat stock and saffron in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat; keep warm. Heat butter in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add rice; cook until lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. Add wine; cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add 1⁄2 cup warm stock; cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue adding stock, 1⁄2 cup at a time, and cooking until absorbed before adding more, until rice is tender and creamy, about 16 minutes total. Stir in marrow, if using, and Parmesan; season with salt and pepper.

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Osso Buco

Yield: serves 6

 

Ingredients

6 (1 1/2″-thick) crosscut veal shanks, tied with kitchen twine

1 cup flour

2 tbsp. canola oil

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 large onions, minced

2 medium carrots, minced

2 ribs celery, minced

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley

5 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 cup veal stock (optional)

8 cloves garlic, minced

Zest of 3 lemons

1 (750-ml) bottle dry white wine

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 

Instructions

Heat oven to 325º. Season veal shanks with salt and pepper. Put flour on a plate and dredge veal in flour, shaking off excess; transfer to a plate. Heat oil in a 6-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, add veal shanks and cook, flipping once, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer veal shanks to a plate; cover. Add butter to pot; stir in onions, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring and scraping any browned bits from bottom of pot with a wooden spoon, until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Tie 3 parsley sprigs and thyme with kitchen twine and add to pot along with bay leaves, veal shanks, wine, and veal stock or 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cover.

Transfer pot to oven and cook until veal is nearly falling off the bone, about 1 1⁄2 hours. Transfer veal shanks to a plate and cover with aluminum foil. Discard herb bundle and bay leaves. Heat pot over medium heat and reduce liquid by half. Transfer veal shanks back to pot, spoon over liquid, and cover to keep warm. Meanwhile, finely chop the remaining parsley leaves and toss in a bowl with the garlic and lemon zest. Sprinkle some of parsley mixture over veal shanks and serve family style from the pot along with the remaining parsley mixture, and a bowl of mashed potatoes, if you like.