Veal, Pork & Porcini Bologonese Sauce with Rigatoni

From our recent trip to Napa Valley, we had dinner at Michael Chiarello's restauarant, Bottega. I wanted to recreate my dinner selection like the mad woman that I am. I sucessfully recreated my Mesa Grill experience and the sauces - my own mini Bobby Flay throwdown to myself. I wanted to try and match that effort for Michael Chiarello. I did my best to find all my recipes or similar recipes to my entree of Housemade egg papperdelle with the bolognese sauce. I really wanted to make my own pasta noodles, but I haven't bought the KA attachment for pasta yet. So I figured making this sauce with the next best thing. It was an excellent and hearty sauce using veal and pork, but I didn't get the great flavor from the porcini mushrooms as I had remembered. Try finding the dry porcini mushrooms to really help accentuate this dish, it will enhance the dish to the maximum.



Veal, Pork & Porcini Bolognese Sauce
Adapted from Michael Chiarello

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup ground veal
1/2 cup ground pork
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dry porcini mushrooms, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and chopped, liquid reserved
2 tablespoons porcini juice, reserved from above
3/4 cup veal stock
1/4 cup canned or jarred marinara sauce
1/3 cup white wine
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley leaves
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
Preparation:
1. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook gently to sweat for about 2 minutes. Do not let the onions caramelize. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook about 1 minute, or until garlic is lightly browned.
2. Add the veal and pork and cook, smashing the meat apart with a wooden spoon, to keep it from clumping together. Cook for about 2 minutes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook about 4 minutes, evaporating any liquid and caramelizing the meat.
3. Add the porcini juice to the meat and cook for 1 minute to evaporate. Add the veal stock and cook for 2 minutes. Add the marinara and the wine. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the parsley.
4. Toss 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan into the sauce to help it bind. Add some reserved pasta water, as necessary, if the sauce appears too dry. Top with the remaining Parmesan.

Marinara Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 cups fresh tomato puree
1 large fresh basil stem with leaves removed
1 teaspoon sea salt, preferably gray salt
Pinch baking soda or sugar, if needed

1.Heat the olive oil in a large non-reactive pot over moderate heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the parsley and garlic and cook briefly to release their fragrance. Add the tomatoes, basil and salt. Simmer briskly until reduced to a sauce like consistency, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. The timing will depend on the ripeness and meatiness of your tomatoes and the size of your pot. If the sauce thickens too much before the flavors have developed, add a little water and continue cooking.
2. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the sauce tastes too acidic, add the baking soda and cook for 5 more minutes. If it needs a touch of sweetness, add the sugar and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the basil stem before serving.
Yield: 4 cups

Review: This sauce was not was intense as I remembered it from Bottega, but for me bolognese sauce is always better the next day because the flavors need to soak in with rigatoni. I'm not Michael Chiarello, so my guess for my variances on the dish were two big factors - my produce items used, couldn't find dry porcini mushrooms (had to sub for a varietal of dry mushrooms) and veal stock (I used veal demi-glace and made a stock from it), but either way I'll have to re-work this recipe again with the correct ingredients (substitutions never really fare well with me), or maybe just re-visit Bottega for another wonderful dinner. It's a win-win situation either way right?

Veal Osso Bucco

I was in the mood for something tender, juicy and rich for dinner. The previous weekend, my husband cooked a wonderful steak dinner. I still had veal shanks leftover from our Anniversary dinner, and with the cold weather changing, a roast was the ideal meal to cook up. Veal osso bucco is an all time classic dish that I absolutely love because most of the cooking time is just roasting in the oven. The little details of browning the veal shanks, adding all the elements and deglazing the pan are the foundation of this wonderful dish. Minimal effort is needed to prepare this meal.

Sidenote: My coworker's husband is the one who gave this recipe to me originally and I thought this would be a great opportunity to try it out. Thanks again KB & CB for a wonderful recipe.

The Historic Strater Hotel - Veal Osso Bucco
Adapted from Historic Strater Hotel

Ingredients:
Two 10- to 12- ounce veal shanks
Seasoned Flour
2 ounces olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 shallot, chopped
4 leaves fresh sage, no stems
1.5 branches fresh rosemary, no stems
2 ounces Marsala wine
2 ounces white wine
16 ounce can tomatoes (whole Roma, coarsely chopped)
2 cups beef stock
2 ounces tomato paste
Salt & pepper

Preparation:
1. Season veal shanks and dredge in flour. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Pan fry veal shanks 2 to 2 minutes on each side in the dutch oven. Remove from oil and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven. Saute garlic & shallots to a golden color. Deglaze pan with marsala and white wine. Add herbs, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and beef stock. Heat until simmering. Check seasonings and add salt and pepper to taste if needed.
3. Add veal shanks to pan and push them to the bottom. Make sure the shanks are covered in sauce by at least 1/4 inch. If not, add additional beef stock or water to raise the liquid level. Cover pot and place in oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. It is done when the meat pulls clean away from the bone. Degrease the sauce upon removing from the oven.

Serves 2.

Review: This was a great comfort dish to indulge on, the cooking and preparation time is minimal. I love the simplicity of this dish, and the herbs accentuate the tender meat. The meat is fall-off-the-bone tender, it just melts in your mouth. I'm still oohing and ahhing for this meal.

Osso Bucco & Risotto Milanese

I wanted to make a nice memorable dinner for our 1st wedding anniversary. Usually our home meals consist of meat and rice, or something with bread or potatoes. Eric had recently purchased an eight quart dutch oven that I had been eyeballing for some time now, and I knew I had to use it for this dinner. I've been dying to make Osso Bucco because the meat is so juicy, and tender...it literally falls off the bone. Osso Bucco is braised veal shanks with carrots, celery, onions and tomatoes. It's a great peasant dish, and also it was my first attempt at making this dish. I did my research on the best recipe to use, and best place to get the specialty meat, center-cut veal shanks. I even contacted my April knottie chef, Gerrie, to go over the details and my anixety of cooking a new dish. I invited our fave double date couple, Adrian and Monica, over to share the meal, too. They brought over the same exact bottle of wine that we drank on our wedding day, Hess Collection Wine from Mount Veeder - 2006. Overall, the dish was wonderful, and every bite was savory and delicious! It wasn't that hard to prepare, but a tasty dish worth every effort!

Osso Bucco & Risotto Milanese

Adapted from "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" & "Joy of Cooking"

**Using my wonderful new 8 quart Dutch Oven**
6 veal shanks

Salt and pepper

Flour

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 Tbsp butter

1 cup diced onion

2/3 cup diced carrot

2/3 cup diced celery

1 cup dry white wine

2 strips lemon zest

1 cup chicken stock

1 1/2 cup tomatoes in juices

1 tsp fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

3 - 4 parsley sprigs

Gremolada

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1/4 tsp finely minced garlic

1 Tbsp minced Italian parsley

Some notes from Marcella Hazan:- Veal shanks are best no thicker than 1 1/2 inches, otherwise they will not cook evenly.- Do not remove the white skin/membrane around shank, it adds flavor and creaminess to the dish. Make sure you allot enough time for the meat to cook, at least 2 to 3 hours for cooking.

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Tie each shank tightly with a piece of cooking twine to prevent them from falling apart during cooking. Season the shanks with salt & pepper. Flour both sides of the veal shank and pat off the excess.

2. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sear the shanks on both sides until a brown crust forms, remove to a plate and set aside.

3. Turn down the heat to medium and add 4 tablespoons of butter to the Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until the vegetables have softened. Add the wine and cook until it no longer smells alcoholic.

4. Nestle the shanks back into the vegetables. Add the lemon zest, chicken stock, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and parsley. Bring the contents to a simmer, cover, and transfer to the oven.

5. Let it cook in the oven for about 2 - 3 hours or until the shanks are fork tender. Baste the shanks by basting the cooking liquid over them every 20 - 30 minutes.

6. If the pot is getting too dry, add a few tablespoons of water.

Optional step: After the shanks are done, carefully remove them from the pot and set aside on a plate. Puree the contents in the pot (the veggies and braising liquid) with an immersion blender for a more uniform sauce. Serve the osso buco over risotto Milanese. Carefully snip the twine around the shank and spoon the sauce over it. Top with a spoonful of the gremolada.

Risotto Milanese

Adapted from "Joy of Cooking"

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 Tbsp butter

1/4 medium onion, finely diced

2 cups Arborio rice

A small pinch of saffron threads

1/4 cup hot water

1/4 cup dry white wine

3 cups chicken stock

1 Tbsp cold butter

1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Note:- Do not rinse the rice, the starches on the outside of the grains is what makes the risotto creamy.- The chicken stock must be hot when you add it to the rice, so keep it in a saucepan on low heat on the stove while you're cooking. - Add the saffron threads to the hot water and let it steep.

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the rice and cook until the rice is coated with fat and starts to turn translucent around the edges.

2. Lower the heat to medium low, add the wine and cook while stirring until the wine has been absorbed. Add one cup of the chicken stock, keeping it at a simmer, and cook uncovered while stirring constantly until almost all of the liquid as absorbed.

3. Add the chicken stock about 1/3 cup at a time until the liquid is absorbed. Keep it at a low simmer, and cook the rice while stirring constantly.

4. About 15 minutes in, after the chicken stock has been absorbed, add the saffron water (threads too) and continue to cook and stir. If you start running low on chicken stock, go ahead and use hot water or more chicken stock. Continue adding ladlefuls of broth, waiting until each addition has been almost absorbed before adding more.

5. Cook while constantly stirring until the rice is al dente, fully cooked but still retains a chew in the center. Take off heat and stir in a tablespoon of cold butter and grated Parmigiano.

Clearly a hearty dish that we ate to the bones!!!!!!! **TIP, save the bones for stock!***