Osso delicious!

There are certain things that get me swooning like a lovesick teenager. A steaming bowl of cassoulet. New York Steak, perfectly medium-rare at Jack's Bar & Grill. And of course one my all time obsessions, savory, saucy, veal-a-rific osso buco. Oh, in case you're wondering, there are several non-food things that make me all giddy, too, but this is a food blog, ya know?!

As mentioned previously, we had our friends J&K over the other night on a cold, blustery evening. In the kitchen math that I practice at home, cold weather + good friends = slow braising. To ward off the chill, I knew it was time to the pull the Cadillac of cookware (aka my beloved Le Creuset) off the shelf, and properly inspired by The Bible, it was and time for my first ever osso buco. I had lusted after the veal shanks (right) at our local Zupan's Market on many an occasion. Each time their pale, beefy flesh would call out to me, but until I got hold of Molly Steven's All About Braising (aka The Bible), I had never heeded the siren song. Now as alluded to above, in my Deliciousness Hall of Fame, osso buco...I'm talking a tender, fall off the bone osso buco with a side of classic risotto Milanese...would absolutely be in my top five things that get my food wood on. I always order it out when I get the rare opportunity. But after making (that's the osso buco right before its oven time at lower left) this amazing creation from Steven's book that was as good as ANY osso buco I've ever had, now I know that instead of drooling all over the meat case at Zupan's, all I need to do is grab some shank and whip up this way easy, get-the-crowd-raving dish in the comfort of the kitchen at 1309, which is always my favorite place to eat!

Wine choice: I've gotta agree with Molly that this classic of Italian cooking calls for your best Italian red. I popped that 2000 Barbaresco that killed, but a good Barbera or Chianti Classico would also work.

Also, don't worry about the long list of ingredients or length of the recipe, it really does come together quickly!
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Osso Buco alla Milanese
From Molly Stevens "All About Braising"

What, no recipe below? Hey, in her book it covers three pages, so transcribing it seemed a bit daunting with my fifth grade level typing skills. I'll get the recipe up eventually, I promise. But trust me when I say BUY THE FREAKING BOOK and make it yourselves (she also has a very good risotto alla Milanese recipe right after the osso buco recipe). It is absolutely an awesome, show-stopping dish. Plus this book is jammed with temptation cover to cover. I bought one copy at Powell's here locally for $35 for a friend's birthday, and grabbed my copy online at Amazon for $24.
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one year ago today @ E.D.T.: a simply fabulous Lamb Stew with Figs!