Recipe by Michael en Lizette Duckitt
Photograph by Bruce Tuck
Slow-roasted osso buco with red wine gravy and cauliflower mash
Ingredients
OSSO BUCO
- 1,5 – 2kg osso buco (beef shanks)
- 15ml (1 tbsp) Worcestershire sauce
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- cake flour, to dust
- 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
- 30g butter
- 3 medium onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 750ml (3 cups) good red wine
- boiling water, to cover
- few sprigs fresh rosemary
CAULIFLOWER MASH
- 1 large cauliflower head
- handful mature Cheddar, grated
- 15g butter
- splash milk
- splash cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- pinch nutmeg, grated
TO SERVE
- green beans, steamed
- pumpkin and sesame seeds, to sprinkle
- microherbs, to garnish
Instructions
For the osso buco, preheat the oven to 160°C. Rub the osso buco with Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Dust the meat with the flour and shake off any excess.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large ovenproof pot over medium heat and brown the meat. Once brown, remove from the pot and set aside. Sauté the onions until translucent, add the garlic and fry, 2 minutes. Lay the meat back in the pot and add the red wine, boiling water (enough to cover the meat) and fresh rosemary. Cover the pot and place in a hot oven, 2 – 2½ hours, checking hourly and adding a little boiling water if necessary.
For the cauliflower mash, steam the cauliflower until tender, 5 – 10 minutes. Leave the florets in a colander for a few minutes to drain excess water. In a mixing bowl, mix the cheese and butter with the cauliflower until the cheese has melted (heat if necessary). Add a splash of milk and cream then, using a stick blender, blitz until smooth. Season and add the nutmeg to taste.
Remove the osso buco from the oven – the meat should be tender – and serve with the cauliflower mash, green beans and a sprinkling of pumpkin and sesame seeds. Garnish with microherbs.
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
