Mains: Osso Bucco

Osso Bucco

I will be honest, I had never heard of this until Carter requested it (it is a famous Italian dish).

I am not a huge fan of slabs of meat however I have made this various times for Carter and other guests (including my brother, mother and father). I will say the saucy vegetable mix which the meat is cooked in is delish (and even though I am not a meat fan it was pretty good too). My favourite part is the risotto, however Carter will argue that the risotto does not even compete with the meaty goodness. Have a try and you decide!

 

Chop Roughly

3 Medium Onion

½ Green Pepper

½ Red Pepper
3 Carrots, Peeled
3 Stalks Celery
6 Cloves Garlic


50g  Butter
1/3 Cup White Wine 
1/3 Cup Brandy
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
2 Cans of Crushed Italian Tomatoes
1 Sprig Rosemary

4 Sprigs Thyme

2 Bay Leaves

1 Teaspoon Mixed Herbs

2 Cups Chicken Stock

2 Cloves Garlic
Good Squeeze Lemon
Handful Parsley

1. Preheat oven to 160C.

2. Place chopped vegetables into a fry pan with the butter and sautee.

3. Add rest of ingredients minus the meat to pan and heat until warm.

4. Place meat in a casserole dish with a lid and pour liquid and vegetables over the top.

5. Cook in the oven for about 2.5 - 3 hours until the meat is almost falling off the bone

6. Chop parsley up very finely with garlic then combine with lemon juice.

7. Serve with a white wine and fennel risotto and a small serve of parsley mix on top

Mains: Leg of Lamb

Roast Leg of Lamb

I will be honest. I am not a lamb fan, however this is the one easy lamb dish I pull out when my visitors do enjoy a NZ roast lamb  (and are not going to settle for chicken). Despite this, I always always taste test the gravy before serving. This can make or break the dish. It can be served as it would traditionally with roast or mashed vegetable, however I often like to make a roast vegetable salad to go with it (Dads favourite).

Ingredients:

1 Largish Leg of Lamb

5 - 6 Sprigs Rosemary

6 Cloves Garlic

2 Teaspoons Rock Salt

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Large Knob Butter

1 Tablespoon Flour

3 Teaspoons Capers

2 Teaspoons Cranberry Jelly

1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

Approx 1 Cup Chicken Stock

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Using a mortar and pestle bash up a sprig of rosemary with salt and garlic.

3. Rub olive olive oil over the lamb, then rub in the salt mix.

4. Place meet in a large roasting dish on top of the remaining Rosemary sprigs.

5. Roast for about 2 hours.

6. Remove lamb from the roasting dish and set aside.

7. Remove rosemary from the dish and discard, then sieve left over fluid into a jug.

8. Place a knob of butter into the roasting dish to melt.

9. Add flour mix to create a rue.

10. Cook for about a 30 - 40 secs stirring all the time, so it does not burn but cooks flour a little.

11. Pour in sieved liquid, and whisk making sure the gravy is smooth with no lumps in it.

12. Add capers, cranberry jelly, vinegar and chicken stock if necessary to make gravy a thinner. When you add capers, mash them up a little with your stirring spoon or whisk, this will release more favour throughout the sauce.