slow cooked osso buco

Ossobuco is a Milanese specialty of cross-cut veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine and broth. It is often garnished with gremolata and traditionally served with risotto alla milanese.

There are two types of ossobuco: a modern version that has tomatoes and the original version which does not. The older version, ossobuco in bianco, is flavoured with cinnamon, bay leaf and gremolata. The modern and more popular recipe includes tomatoes, carrots, celery and onions. Gremolata is optional.

Ossobuco or osso buco is Italian for "bone with a hole" (osso bone, buco hole), a reference to the marrow hole at the centre of the cross-cut veal shank. In the local Western Lombard Milanese dialect, this dish's name is oss bus.

Risotto alla milanese is the traditional accompaniment to ossobuco in bianco, making for a one-dish meal. Ossobuco (especially the tomato-based version) is also eaten with polenta or mashed potatoes. Outside Milan, it is sometimes served with pasta.

The Fabre 'version' is baked in the oven, served with couscous or rice, green vegetables and a salad as seen below!

I purchased two large pieces of osso buco from our local butcher  - and the following is how I prepared and cooked it.

place the meat onto a sheet of foil, add chopped or sliced onion and some spicy Italian herb mix to each piece

add a knob of butter

wrap each piece and place into a dish or baking tray

cook in a slow oven for two hours, open foil carefully as it will be hot

I served it with greens, salad and couscous

so easy to prepare, all up 5 mins, then wrap and leave in the oven.

A great winter meal that could also have other seasonings or vegetables added. Use your imagination!


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tasty marinated mushrooms

After a nice long walk around the town a week or so ago, we came back home at about noon and after a quick lunch, got stuck into being 'productive'. 

I decided to do some marinated mushrooms and here is how I do them:

Make sure you have at least two clean glass jars with a wide opening.

You will also need:

canned whole mushrooms 

olive oil

cider vinegar

wine vinegar

garlic

salt and pepper

Italian seasoning and if it is available in your supermarket, the spicy Italian Seasoning is a great addition too.

The above are the items needed, you can decide on the amounts used. Today I used three cans of mushrooms, so will give you those quantities.

Open and drain three cans of mushrooms, place them in the clean glass jars.

Crush 6 gloves of garlic, 4 caps of cider vinegar, 8 caps of wine vinegar, salt and pepper, a teaspoon of Italian Seasoning and 2 cups of light olive oil in a jug. Mix well.

You can place the above ingredients in a blender, but it will make the mix quite 'frothy'. Better to mix with a spoon or fork.

Pour the garlic / oil mix over the drained mushrooms that are in the jars. Leave them stand for at least 24 hours. Longer if possible. Though I do tend to turn them over every few hours to start with. That way I know all the mushrooms are well and truly coated with this delicious olive oil / garlic marinade.

Serve with cheese, crackers or other appetizers and drinks. Make sure you have some toothpicks handy for guests to handle the slippery little mushrooms.

Sit back and enjoy!


since June 2012 only 43 people have read this particular blog post, now I have shifted it to this URL in October 2013 I will see how it goes!

creamy pumpkin soup

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Who does not like creamy pumpkin soup on a cold winters day, or any day for that matter?

Our daughter certainly enjoys it and it's also a favourite amongst other family members. My brother has quite a large patch of pumpkins this year and so I took advantage of that to make a large pot of Pumpkin Soup.

The recipe is as follows:

above: peel and chop about 1 kg of pumpkin and two large potatoe's.

above: to a large pan on the stove top, add 2 tbsp of light olive oil, 3 cloves of crushed garlic and one finely chopped onion.

 above: cook for 2 - 3 minutes, until softened but not browned.  

Add

• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

gently stir for about 1/2 a minute.

above: add the chopped pumpkin and potatoe to a 'slow cooker' or add to the large pan already on the stove with the onions and spices. I added mine to a 'slow cooker'.

above: to the pumpkin and potatoe add the cooked onions and spices.

above: add a litre of chicken or vegetable stock.

above: in the 'slow cooker' place the lid on top and leave till cooked. Approx one hour or more. Turn the temperature down till ready to serve.

If using the large pan on the stove, add the vegetables and stock to the onions and spice mix, stir well. This will cook on a low heat in about 40 minutes. Stir every now and then. Do not let the vegetables stick to the bottom.

above: Before serving, let it cool slightly, then blend till smooth in batches. Return to pan to reheat.

Stir in light cream and add some parsley.

This is a very easy soup to make and will be enjoyed by all on these cold winter nights!

easy and tasty fun!!