Georgia Magazine - January 2021 - 40

GEORGIA Cooks

Courtesy of Kennesaw State University
4 (3-inch-thick) pieces veal shank
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup minced onions
1 cup finely diced celery
5 to 6 garlic cloves
1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
4 cups brown veal stock (or chicken stock)
1 cup dry white wine
3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 dry bay leaf
Gremolata
8 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, stems and leaves separated
(stems to be used in main dish)
8 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon minced lemon zest
1 tablespoon minced orange zest
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dry the veal shank
pieces. Season with salt and black pepper. Dust with
all-purpose flour.
Over medium-high heat, warm a Dutch oven (or
heavy-bottomed, ovenproof pot with a lid) and melt
the butter with the olive oil. When the oil begins to
shimmer, brown the veal shank pieces. Note: Be sure
to brown the top, bottom and sides.
Remove the meat and add the carrots and
onions. Cook until they begin to caramelize. Add
celery. Note: The celery doesn't brown; the moisture
from the celery slows the browning of the carrots and
onions. Add garlic and cook a few minutes; when
you can smell it and just start to see it brown, add the
veal shanks, tomatoes, stock, wine, thyme, bay leaf
and parsley stems (from the gremolata). Bring to a
simmer. Cover with lid, place in the preheated oven
and cook for 1-1/2 hours.
While meat is cooking, prepare the gremolata
by finely chopping parsley leaves and basil leaves.
Combine them with lemon and orange zests. Season
to taste with salt and pepper. Place in refrigerator
until you are ready to serve.
Check the meat for doneness. Note: Meat should
be tender and almost fall-off-the-bone, but a perfectly
cooked osso buco should still hold its shape. An overcooked shank will always fall apart. When the meat
is done, carefully remove it from the pot and reserve
it in a warm dish or bowl.
Pour the braising liquid through a fine-mesh
strainer. Return the braising liquid to a clean pot and

Georgia Magazine

January 2021

discard the solids. Cook over medium-high heat to reduce it to a velvetytextured sauce that coats a spoon as you lift it from the pot. Note: The flour
you added to the veal shank pieces has helped brown the meat as well as
thicken the sauce. The thickness of the sauce is entirely in your control. Serve
osso buco on top of your favorite starch, such as fluffy mashed potatoes, or,
for an Italian tradition, on top of Risotto Milanese (recipe below). Ladle a
portion of sauce over the osso buco
(and your choice of starch), then top
with 1 or 2 teaspoons of the gremolata.
Serves 4.

RISOTTO MILANESE
Courtesy of Kennesaw State University
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup shallots or onions, minced
1-1/2 cups risotto rice, such as Arborio
1 pinch saffron threads
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
5-1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

COURTESY KENNESAW STATE UNIVERSITY

VEAL OSSO BUCO

Heat the oil in a sauce pot over low
heat. Add shallots or onions and sweat In-kitchen training is one compountil tender (to develop the aroma, but nent of Kennesaw State University's
no color). Add the rice and toast lightly nine-month Culinary Apprenticeship
Certificate program.
but do not allow it to brown. When it
is lightly toasted, add the saffron and
wine and cook until the wine has absorbed into the rice and it is almost
dry. Note: You must constantly stir the rice as it cooks. Add salt, pepper and
enough chicken stock to cover the rice and continue to cook, stirring, until
dry. Add more stock and continue cooking and stirring. Taste a grain or two
of rice as it approaches doneness. Note: The risotto will be done when you
can bite through the grain without any undone hardness in the center of the
rice, but it will have a chewy texture. Stir in the butter and Parmesan cheese.
Adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until you are ready to serve.
Serves 4.

SAUTÉED WILD MUSHROOMS AND SPINACH
Courtesy of the Culinary Institute of Savannah at Savannah Technical College
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 ounces spinach
4 ounces onions, julienned
Kosher salt, to taste
8 ounces wild mushrooms, sliced
Ground black pepper, to taste
Vegetable stock or water, if needed

In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté
onions and mushrooms until golden brown. Note: If there is too much fond
or browning that builds up on the sauté pan, simply add a little stock or
water and scrape off. When onions and mushrooms are completely
sautéed, add spinach and cook until it wilts. Season as desired with salt and
pepper. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Georgia Magazine - January 2021

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