Ingredients

Serves 6

Osso Buco
¼ cup olive oil
2 kg veal shin, cut crosswise into
5 cm slices 100 g butter 4 anchovies
10 garlic cloves, crushed 2 onions, diced
1 carrot, sliced
2 sticks celery, sliced 200 g olives, pitted 50 g capers
2 bay leaves
1 cup red wine
1 cup port
1 litre tomato passata
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup basil leaves

Gremolata (optional):
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1½ garlic clove, finely chopped

 

Soft, Herby, Cheesy Polenta
Serves 4
3 tablespoons olive oil or 75g butter
1 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 litre good-quality chicken stock or milk
150g fine polenta (‘instant’ polenta is also acceptable)
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon chopped sage
150g grated parmesan (or use your favourite blue cheese for a stronger flavour)
Salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

 

Adzuki Beans, Pumpkin and Ginger Casserole
Serves 2
1 large onion, sliced
1 tbsp coriander roots, chopped
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 400g canned Adzuki beans
1 stick kombu
2 cups butternut pumpkin
4–6 shiitake mushrooms
1 litre water or vegie stock
Tamari, to taste
½ cup brown rice



 

 

Method

Osso Buco

Most people have a dusty bottle of port lurking around in the back of a cupboard, and here's a great way to use it up. Osso buco is a classic Italian recipe that uses the veal shin, cut through the bone into thick chunks. It's a brilliant slow-cooked dish that really makes the best of what seems to be a bony and rather mean cut. You end up with meltingly soft meat and a juicy knob of marrow to suck from the bones. It may not be elegant, but it's delicious. Ask your butcher to cut your osso buco pieces from the hind shin, as they have more meat on them than those from the foreleg. This osso buco recipe comes from my Nonna Yole. It is traditionally served with risotto alla Milanese, but I like to serve it with soft, herby, cheesy polenta.


Preheat the oven to 175°C.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based casserole and brown the veal pieces all over. Transfer the browned veal to a plate and keep warm.

Add the butter to the casserole and when it starts to sizzle add the anchovies, garlic and onion. Sauté over a medium heat until the anchovies begin to melt. Add the carrot and celery and sweat for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the olives, capers and bay leaves to the casserole then pour in the wine, port and tomato passata. Season with salt and pepper and stir in half the basil leaves. Bring to the boil then lower the temperature to a simmer.

Cover the casserole and transfer to the oven for 1½ hours, or until the meat is meltingly tender. Check the casserole from time to make sure that the meat is always covered with sauce.

Once the veal is cooked, remove the casserole from the oven. If the sauce is too thin, remove the lid from the casserole and boil vigorously on the stovetop for 5-10 minutes until reduced.
Mix together the gremolata ingredients and scatter onto the osso buco just before serving.

 

Soft, Herby, Cheesy Polenta

Heat the oil or butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sweat gently for 5 minutes, until they are soft, but not coloured. Add the stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Pour in the polenta in a slow steady stream, whisking vigorously until the mixture begins to boil, then lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time, until the mixture thickens and becomes smooth and creamy. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the chopped herbs and cheese. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary - you may find the cheese is salty enough. Serve straight away.

 

Adzuki Beans, Pumpkin and Ginger Casserole

1. Sauté onions and coriander in olive oil until soft, then add the garlic and ginger. Cook for a further minute.
2. Add beans, pumpkin, mushrooms, kombu and water or stock to the pot and bring to the boil. Lower heat and simmer.
3. When mushrooms are soft, take them out of the pot and remove stems. Slice caps finely and put back into pot.
4. Chop kombu finely and return to pot.
5. Cook casserole until beans are soft, then season as desired.
6. Cook the brown rice then serve with the casserole. Garnish with coriander leaves.