Guido Stucchi Prinetti has taken over the cooking classes his Mom -- Lorenza De'Medici -- used to hold for foreign visitors at Badia a Coltibuono, one of Chianti Classico's top wineries. This roast veal shank is one of his Mom's recipes, and classic cucina borghese, upper middle class Italian cooking.
It's also quite easy to do, requiring little supervision: You simply prepare the meat, put it in the oven, and go about your business; in 3 to 4 hours it will be done. To serve 4-6 you'll need:
It's also quite easy to do, requiring little supervision: You simply prepare the meat, put it in the oven, and go about your business; in 3 to 4 hours it will be done. To serve 4-6 you'll need:
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours,
Ingredients:
- A whole veal shank (you may have to ask your butcher for it) weighing about 4 1/2 pounds (2.2 k)
- 4 small carrots, peeled
- An organically grown lemon
- 2 ribs celery
- A large onion
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Dry white wine
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Flour
Preparation:
Begin by trimming excess gristle and fat from the shank using a sharp knife. When you have finished preparing the meat, salt it liberally, dust it with abundant freshly ground pepper, and flour it well, tapping it to shake off whatever doesn't stick. The flour will, in addition to forming a crust, help to thicken the pan juices, and if it's added at this stage it won't form lumps.Sprinkle the oil and crumble butter into an oven-proof pot large enough to hold the meat. Chop the vegetables into the pot, and then add sufficient wine to reach a finger up the sides of the pot. You don't want to braise the meat, but you do want there to be sufficient liquid to keep it moist until the heat of the oven begins to render out the fat.
Cover the pot, put it in the oven, and turn the oven to about 320 F (160 C). Guido prefers not to preheat because the secret of the dish is long gentle roasting at a low temperature, and also observes that in the past this was a common practice.
"People talk about browning the meat with an initial blast of heat," he says, "but with time it will brown in any case,"
At this point you're free to go about your business; check on it occasionally, and add a little wine or broth if it looks dry, but it will probably be just fine.
In 3 1/2 to 4 hours (for veal, or 5-6 for a beef shank) the meat will be done, and extremely tender, while the vegetables will have become almost creamy in consistency.
Remove the shank to a chopping board, and spoon the vegetables into a food mill to blend them (you can use a blender, though the sauce won't be quite as smooth). Add the pan drippings and crank them through the food mill too.
Put the sauce in a small pot. Trim the zest from the lemon, chop it, and add it to the pot, together with half the juice of the lemon. Heat the sauce through.
In the meantime, remove the bone (your dog will enjoy it greatly) and slice the meat with the grain into a number of pieces, taking advantage of the opportunity to remove any excess gristle or fat that may have been present within the shank. Arrange the pieces of meat on a platter, and spoon some of the sauce over them.
This roast is very good with mashed potatoes, so while the meat was cooking Guido diced several, boiled them, and them mashed them with milk and a little salt. More gravy on the side, and who could ask for more?
The wine? We had a 2004 Badia a Coltibuono Chianti Classico, and it was quite nice.
