ROASTED VEAL SHANK: SUNDAY DINNER | Peace and Love in the Kitchen

ROASTED WHOLE VEAL SHANK: SUNDAY DINNER

Monday, January 9, 2012

Serves 4

Veal shank is a relatively affordable way to enjoy the mild tasting tender qualities of veal. Shank is a large, thick leg bone with meat wrapped around it. While it is a lean cut, the shank’s connective tissues make the meat tend toward chewy. Braising or slow roasting it takes care of this giving you all of the good flavors of veal in a more affordable cut. You don’t see whole shanks very often. Most of the time, veal or beef shanks are cut cross-wise into 2-inch thick pieces. (Oso buco, anyone?) Here, we roast the shank whole.

In this recipe, a veal shank is roasted along with some aromatic vegetables and a little white wine. Roasting meat, of course, is quite easy. You just prep the meat with salt, pepper, and a little oil and put it into the oven. You can take care of other business while it cooks. When the meat is ready, you make a delicious sauce from everything in the pan including the vegetables. The sauce really makes the dish come together. Pour it over the meat in generous spoonfuls. Serve your roasted veal shank with steamed spinach and lumpy mashed potatoes …. and pour some of the sauce over those too. It is a delicious and homey feast; a perfect meal for family and friends.

1 (3 1/2 – 4 lbs) whole veal shank, trimmed of extra fat – ask your butcher for a shank. They are rarely displayed.

4 cloves garlic, 2 thinly sliced, 2 finely chopped

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp butter, softened

3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped

1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 cup dry white wine, divided

zest of one lemon

1/4 tsp dried thyme or 1/2 tsp chopped fresh

1. PREP: Preheat the oven to 450. Using a sharp knife, cut deep slits all over the meat and insert one sliver of garlic into each one. Liberally season the meat with salt and pepper and then rub the meat all over with the olive oil and butter.

2. ROAST: Place the meat in a roasting pan or casserole dish that is just big enough to fit it. Scatter the onion, carrot, and celery around it. Pour 1/4 cup white wine into the dish. The wine will keep the meat moist while it roasts. Here, I also added a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Place veal in the oven and roast for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 250 and cook until a meat thermometer reads 145-150 degrees, about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.

3. REST THE MEAT AND MAKE THE SAUCE: Remove the roast from the pan onto a platter or cutting board and let it rest, covered loosely with foil, while you make the sauce. Skim as much fat from the roasting pan as you can, but don’t worry about getting it all. Blend the contents to a smooth and creamy consistency using a stick blender, food processor, or blender. Set this aside for a moment. In a large saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp butter over MEDIUM heat. Add the finely chopped garlic and cook until the garlic is soft, about 1 minute. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of wine and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the burner. Now, you are going to add the blended pan juices. Place a fine mesh sieve (or use a food mill) over the sauce pan. Pour the contents of the vegetable mixture into the sieve. The liquid will pour through and leave the larger pieces of vegetable behind. You want to extract as much as you can. Use a spoon to stir and scrape the sieve. Smash the vegetables into the sieve and scrape the bottom and sides over and over until what remains in the sieve is pretty dry and solid. You discard this. You are almost done. Now, add the lemon zest and thyme to the saucepan and bring it all to a boil. Boil the sauce until it is reduced and thickened a bit, about 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. SERVE: Holding the shank vertically, slice the meat from the bone. Place the sliced meat on a platter and bring it to the table. Serve the meat with the sauce spooned on top. This is wonderful with mashed potatoes and spinach. Be sure to bring the sauce to the table. It is good on everything.