Braised Veal Shanks With Bacon Parmesan Crumbs Recipes

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS WITH BACON-PARMESAN CRUMBS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Season veal with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches (do not crowd), cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over, 8-10 minutes; transfer to a platter. Remember: Browned meat tastes better, and this is your only opportunity to build that flavor.
• Wipe out pot, reduce heat to medium, and cook two-thirds of bacon, stirring occasionally, until fat starts to render (you don't want it to get crisp), about 4 minutes. Stick cloves in onion quarters and add to pot along with garlic, rosemary, thyme, sage sprigs, and bay leaves; stir to coat. Add wine, bring to a simmer, and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, crushing with your hands as you go, then broth and veal shanks along with any accumulated juices. Add water just to cover; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven.
• Braise veal shanks, checking occasionally to make sure liquid is not boiling too hard and shanks are still submerged (add water along the way if needed), until meat is extremely tender and nearly falling off the bone, 1 1/2-2 hours. Let shanks cool slightly in liquid, then transfer to a platter or cutting board and tent with foil. Strain braising liquid into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; cook until liquid is reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, 30-40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, cook remaining bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, 5-8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels with a slotted spoon.
• Add olive oil, then breadcrumbs to skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook, tossing occasionally to coat and brown evenly, until breadcrumbs are golden brown and crisp, 8.10 minutes. Add Parmesan, sage leaves, and reserved bacon and toss to coat. Transfer to a small bowl.
• Spoon some braising liquid over veal shanks and top with breadcrumbs. Serve remaining braising liquid alongside for pouring over.
• DO AHEAD: Veal shanks can be braised 2 days ahead. Let cool in unreduced braising liquid, then cover and chill.

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS, MILAN STYLE

Steps:

• Trim excess fat from veal shanks. Coat veal with flour. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook veal in oil about 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides; drain.
• Place veal in 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Mix remaining ingredients; pour over veal.
• Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 10 hours or until veal is very tender and pulls away from bones.
• Remove veal and vegetables from cooker, using slotted spoon; place on serving platter. Skim fat from veal juices in cooker if desired. Pour juices over veal and vegetables.

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS WITH CARROTS, PARSNIPS, AND TURNIPS

Steps:

• Season the veal with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet and sear the veal shanks over high heat on all sides until well browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the browned veal shanks from the skillet and place them in an ovenproof casserole. To the same skillet in which you browned the veal, add the diced vegetables, along with the whole garlic cloves, and saute them for 3 to 4 minutes.
• When the vegetables have begun to cook and wilt, add the tomato paste and combine thoroughly. Be careful not to burn the tomato paste. Add the white wine and the chicken or veal stock and bring to a boil. Carefully pour the vegetable liquid mixture over the veal shanks in the casserole and braise covered in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes. The veal should be fork tender, with the meat just beginning to separate from the bone when you remove them from the oven. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS WITH GREMOLATA

Steps:

• Coarse sea salt, for garnish, optional For the braised veal shanks: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Dredge the shanks in the flour, making sure to get off any excess. Add the shanks to the pan, in batches if necessary, and cook on all sides until browned, 3 to 4 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate. If browning in batches, repeat with the remaining shanks. Add the onions, carrots, celery, coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, thyme, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and chiles to the pan and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until glossy, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, scraping to deglaze the pan. Add the chicken stock and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Taste the simmering braising liquid at this point; it should taste seasoned. Return the shanks to the pan, cover and braise in the oven until the meat is very tender, 3 to 4 hours.
• For the gremolata: When almost ready to serve, combine the parsley, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt and garlic in a small bowl. Stir to combine. To serve, remove the shanks to a serving platter and spoon the sauce and braising vegetables over the top of them. Sprinkle with a little bit of sea salt and garnish with gremolata.

BRAISED VEAL SHANKS WITH GARLIC

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place a braising pan large enough to hold shanks over medium high heat. Add oil. Season veal with salt and pepper, then add to hot pan. Brown shanks all over, about 20 minutes. Remove to a plate. Pour off or add oil to pan until you have 3 tablespoons. Heat oil until shimmering. Add onions and carrots, and cook until golden brown, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Nestle veal in vegetables, and pour wine on top. Reduce by three-quarters. Add garlic and thyme, and pour broth on top. Bring to a simmer. Cover meat with a piece of foil, turning corners up. Cover pan with a lid, and place in oven. Braise until meat is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Season to taste. Remove from oven, and let cool in pan. Refrigerate.
• The next day, reheat veal over low heat. Serve with risotto or potatoes and the sauce and vegetables.

WHOLE BRAISED VEAL SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• On a cutting board, use the side of your chef's knife to smash together the chopped garlic and the rosemary to make a coarse paste. Cut several deep holes in the veal shanks with a paring knife-really stab them! Using your index finger, stuff the holes with the rosemary-garlic mixture; this will perfume the shanks with a beautiful aroma while they braise.
• Season the shanks generously with salt. Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil and bring to high heat. Add the shanks to the pan and brown well on all sides; this may take up to 20 minutes. Don't skimp on this step-this is where the big, rich, brown flavors start to develop, so take your time!
• While the shanks are browning, put the onions, carrots, celery, apples, and the remaining 3 cloves of smashed garlic in a food processor and purée to a coarse paste; reserve.
• When the shanks are very brown, transfer them to a roasting pan. Ditch the fat, add a bit of fresh olive oil, and add the puréed veggies and apples to the sauté pan. Season generously with salt and cook until the mixture is very brown and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Again, don't skimp here-you want the veggies to form a crust on the bottom of the pan. This is where more of that lovely brown flavor develops, so take your time.
• Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the wine, bring it to a boil (BTB), and stir frequently until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Then transfer everything to the roasting pan with the shanks. Add about 1/2 cup water to the sauté pan to help release any of that good crud stuck to the bottom, then add it to the roasting pan.
• Add 4 to 5 more cups water to the roasting pan and stir to combine; the mix should be pretty soupy. Taste and add more salt if needed, then toss in the bay leaves and the thyme bundle.
• Put the pan in the oven and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, turning the shanks every 30 minutes, stirring and adding more water if the liquid reduces too much. If the shanks brown too much during the cooking time, tent the pan with aluminum foil. When the shanks are done they should be incredibly tender and flavorful.