Wining & Dining: Osso Buco with Risotto

During the winter our bodies crave warming comfort food and this delicious recipe promises to heat you up while bringing a bit of luxury to the table.

Ingredients

Osso Buco

Three tablespoons of olive oil

Two bay leaves

500 grams of veal shin

One onion

Two carrots

Three celery stalks

Two shallots

One garlic clove

Three tablespoons of corn starch

One tablespoon of sugar

1/2 pint of cream

Risotto

Two pints of vegetable stock

One knob of butter

Two tablespoons of olive oil

One large onion, finely chopped

Two cloves of garlic, finely chopped

One saffron unit

400 grams of risotto rice

Two glasses of Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc

Sea salt

70 grams of butter

115grams freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 

Method

Osso Buco and Sauce

Sauté for the veal for three to four minutes and add 150ml of Gouguenheim Malbec wine.

Cook for three hours in vegetable stock, salt, pepper and two bay leaves.

In another skillet, sauté two chopped onions and two cloves garlic before adding 250ml Malbec wine and reduce to half its volume.

Add one cup of the Osso Buco stock to the mixture before reducing. Add one tablespoon of sugar, three tablespoons of corn starch and 1/2 pint of cream.

Risotto

Heat two tablespoons of olive oil or butter in a well-seasoned, cast iron skillet (or the heaviest, non-stick skillet you have).

Add about three to four tablespoons of chopped shallots or onions to the oil and sauté for two to three minutes over medium heat.

Add your risotto rice. One cup is enough to feed four to six people as either a first course (the Italian tradition) or as a main course.

Stir the rice well with the onions and oil because the purpose is to thoroughly "coat" the rice. This helps regulate absorption of the liquid.

Add 1/4 cup of dry flavorful white wine (Gouguenheim Torrontes).

When the wine is about 3/4's absorbed, reduce the heat to the lowest setting if you are cooking in an iron skillet (low medium if in anything else) and ladle in enough stock to cover the smoothed out risotto.

When the added liquid level drops about 1/3, re-cover the risotto with more stock. Continue this process for about 20 minutes.

The end of the cooking is critical for the final texture of the dish, so when the rice is mostly tender, but with just a hint of texture to it and the liquid you have added to this point is mostly absorbed add the Parmesan cheese and two tablespoons of butter.

At this point, stir the risotto profusely to blend in the cheese and butter and remove your finished risotto from the heat. Let it stand for three to four minutes. Serve with the succlent pieces on veal shank and top with the rich creamy sauce. 

Wine match: Gouguenheim Pinot Noir €11.75 which can be purchased here. 

Wines Direct promise nationwide delivery in 48 hours guaranteed!