Osso Buco, Toasted Pine Nut Gremolata

Mario Batali's Osso Buco 

marries 

Martha Stewart's Creamy Polenta

A match made in heaven...

Last Sunday Father Adam and I made this Osso Buco. We were impressed first with how absolutely delicious it was, and even more with how much easier it was to make than we had imagined. While Father Adam browned the seasoned veal shanks in olive oil in the hot Le Creuset French Oven, I prepared the Basic Tomato Sauce.

Once browned, the shanks are removed from the pot (to rest in the Italian countryside). 

Carrot, onion, celery, and thyme are then browned in the same pot over medium heat. The tomato sauce, chicken stock, and white wine are added to the pan and brought to a boil.

The shanks and accumulated juices go back in. Cover and cook in a 375° oven. Now we have two and a half hours to relax, drink the rest of that bottle of wine, chop some parsley, toast some pine nuts, and zest a lemon.

Later the meat is falling off the bone and the sauce is rich and complex. About 20 minutes before the osso buco is to be done, we prepare the polenta, recipe here.

Serve the tender veal shank over Creamy Polenta and sprinkle the top with Toasted Pine Nut Gremolata, made by combining toasted pine nuts with chopped Italian parsley and lemon zest. The complete recipe for Osso Buco, Tomato Sauce, and Gremolata can be found here.

Dessert?

The Next Day...

Perhaps you noticed the portion size of those shanks? There was plenty left over. So I cooked some mostaccioli, tossed with olive oil and the leftover gremolata. I shredded the remaining veal and heated it up with the sauce.

Mostaccioli, known in Italy as “Penne Lisce,” are a specialty of the Campania Region in southern Italy which includes the cities of Naples, Capri and Sorrento. Penne, which means “pen” in Italian, gets its name from its shape. Penne are tube-shaped with angled ends cut to resemble a quill or pen point. Unlike penne which are ridged, mostaccioli are smooth in texture. They are designed for chunky tomato, meat and cream sauces.  (from Barilla website)

I have a fondness for mostaccioli because growing up in the 1960's in a non-Italian household in Chicago, this was exotic! The spelling and pronunciation were foreign. In addition, we immensely enjoyed Mom's elbow macaroni with butter and melting American cheese torn into strips, and spaghetti with broiled pork chops on top, which we called "PC & S."

My mother served her mostaccioli tossed with butter and canned S & W Stewed Tomatoes with Onion, Celery, and Bell Pepper. We loved it. 

I once asked her if she had to do that airplane trick to get us to eat when we were little. You know, where the food on the spoon is the airplane and the hangar is the mouth? She laughed. No. You kids? You ate everything. You were NOT picky eaters!

So, I just called my mother to find out more about this mostaccioli dish she used to make for us. She told me that she used S & W because it tasted the best. It did. I remember. Thanks Ma! Thanks so much...

Mostaccioli with Pine Nut Gremolata, Veal Ragù

Curried Pork Fried Rice

Curried Pork Fried Rice

Red and Green Bell Pepper

Scallion, Napa Cabbage, Bean Sprouts

Heat peanut oil in a wok or large pan over high heat. Add minced ginger, garlic and thinly sliced scallions. After about a minute add diced bell pepper. When the bell pepper starts to soften, add shredded Napa cabbage and thick sliced scallions. The last vegetable to add is the bean sprouts. Then add cold cooked white rice and mix thoroughly.

The Sauce:

All toasted sesame oils are not alike. La Tourangelle makes a sesame oil that is far superior. This producer partners with one of the oldest Japanese oil mills. The oil is crafted in central Japan strictly following 270-year-old traditional methods. The quality of sesame oil varies depending on the quality of the seeds, and the length and temperature of the toasting process. La Tourangelle's Japanese partner uses only the freshest, highest quality seeds that are painstakingly cleaned and slow toasted. 

In addition to the delicious sesame oil, it is the curry powder and fish sauce that give this fried rice its standout flavor! The sauce is made with 2 parts toasted sesame oil, 2 parts low-sodium soy sauce, 1 part fish sauce, 1 part curry powder. Trader Joe's has a nice curry powder containing: cumin, turmeric, coriander, chili, mustard, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg, cayenne, cinnamon, black pepper, and saffron. They recommend toasting the powder first, in a dry skillet for best flavor. 

After adding the rice to the vegetables then toss the sauce into the rice mixture. (When we were in Thailand a few years ago I became addicted to fried rice for breakfast. One of the components of Thai fried rice is fish sauce, which gives it a unique flavor).

I cook the ground pork in a separate pan. I use my ceramic titanium nonstick Scanpan, and do not add any oil. Season with a little salt and pepper, break up the pork, yet still leave it in bite-sized clusters. Drain the cooked pork in a colander. Gently toss the pork with the rice mixture. 

Curried Pork Fried Rice

Serve with hot sauce on the side. Cilantro garnish.

From My Garden

Queen Elizabeth grandiflora rose (pink) 

Wildfire hybrid tea rose (bright orange) 

Julia Child floribunda rose (yellow) 

Lavender sprigs

Bejeweled Salmon

 Fresh Wild Kenai River Sockeye Salmon

Roasted with Creme Fraiche

Over Emerald Seaweed Salad

Topped with Coral Ikura

Seaweed Salad: Mix bright green seaweed with a small amount of toasted sesame oil, seasoned rice wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and sesame seeds.

Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper. To get the skin extra crispy, I put the salmon skin-side down over a sizzling hot teaspoon of olive oil in a ovenproof sauté pan and sear on the stove top over high heat for a few minutes. 

Then top the salmon with crème fraîche and finish by roasting in a 400° oven. Serve over the seaweed salad, top with ikura (salmon roe). The terrific idea for roasting salmon with crème fraîche is not mine. I read Molly Wizenberg's story of her father's Alaskan fishing trips in Bon Appétit, and being a big fan of this French cultured cream, I thought I would try her method. The charming story can be found here.

Bejeweled Salmon: Coral & Emerald

Alaskan salmon, prepared French/Japanese fusion style, has bright clean flavors, a variety of interesting textures, and is a visual stunner!

Rue Mouffetard

We met George and Patricia for a tour of one of the oldest streets in Paris, the bustling and colorful Rue Mouffetard. It is the remnant of an old Roman road with structures dating back hundreds of years. The narrow cobblestone street functions pretty much the way it has for centuries in a neighborhood where people come to shop, eat, meet, and socialize.

The market is open every day except Monday. I will freely admit that I am jealous of the life of my gracious Parisienne friend, Patricia. In my fantasy I come here every morning (excepté lundi) to peruse la viande, les fruits de mer, les fruits, les légumes, le pain et les fromages, then choose what looks freshest and suits my mood and the weather. 

I pick up une bouteille de vin (ou de deux) to accompany my treasure, then go home to my apartment château to cook for family and friends and fellow bloggers who happen to be visiting Paris. Including YOU I hope! 

Mollusques et Crustacés

Peg, Kristy and Susan

Look at the little pooch under the woman's chair bottom left.

Fromage

Fraises

There are several varieties of strawberries.

Gariguette

Mara des Bois

Asperge

Coeur de Boeuf

Don and his favorite, The Foie Gras Market!

La Contrescarpe

Kristy and Peg

Merci beaucoup to our friends in Paris, George and Patricia, for the camaraderie and wonderful experience of La Mouffe! I hope the two of you will visit Los Angeles soon, so I can return the warm hospitality.

À bientôt!

Suprême - Cheese of the Month

Purple Asparagus with Suprême Sauce

• French 
  
• Cow's milk 
  
• Soft ripened 
  
• White rind 

Sounds really good, like Brie, right? Not exactly. Suprême is enriched with crème fraîche. Produced in Burgundy since 1926, it was introduced in the 1930's under the name “Les Ducs” then by 1968 Suprême des Ducs was distributed internationally. If you are interested in wine pairing, by all means try a Red Burgundy! 

Suprême

Not to take anything away from Brie, Le Brie is King and one of my favorites, in fact, it will be Cheese of the Month in July, so please stop by then for some new Brie recipes. But here we are featuring the esoteric Suprême. Flavors that pair well with this cheese include hazelnut and roasted garlic. Please be sure to visit the Ile de France website for more recipes and information about Suprême.

Purple Asparagus with Suprême Sauce

Simmer the asparagus in boiling water with lemon juice.

Eighteen seconds later  (thanks to digital camera information) you can already see the purple is fading away. If you have your heart set on preserving the original purple color, I am afraid that you have to serve it raw. Which would of course be delicious, as noted in an earlier post, Grilled Purple Asparagus and Tofu, this variety is sweeter and less stringy than green asparagus.

Regular readers of Taste With The Eyes may have noticed that I am a crème fraîche aficionado, and since Suprême is made with it, I thought I would melt the cheese after removing the rind, and add a little crème fraîche to make a sauce. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice (and salt if desired) on the asparagus and ladle the Suprême sauce over. Voilà! Easy and elegant!

More Cheese of the Month!

Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Escarole Stuffed with Suprême

Quarter a head of escarole keeping the bottom stem intact. Drizzle with your favorite (or mine, see below) Dijon Vinaigrette. Place a slice of Suprême in the center of the escarole. Wrap with prosciutto.

Jacques Pepin's Vinaigrette in a Jar

• 2 tsp chopped garlic
  
• 3 Tbs Dijon-style mustard
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
  
• 1/4 c red or white wine vinegar
  
• 1 c extra virgin olive oil

Put all ingredients in a jar, screw on the lid, and shake very well.

Grill over medium high heat, turning, until the prosciutto gets crispy, the cheese starts to melt, and the escarole begins to char and wilt. Serve with extra vinaigrette on the side.

Great starter for an alfresco grilling party!

Suprême, Roasted Garlic, 

Grilled Escarole and Japanese Eggplant Sandwich

The ultimate veggie sandwich! There is so much going on here you won't miss the meat. It is smokey and garlicky, rich and creamy, slightly bitter (in a good way) from the escarole, and silky and toasty...

Lightly brush the escarole with olive oil. Grill over medium high heat, turning until slightly charred and slightly wilted.

Grilling Japanese Eggplant. 

The long slender shape makes it perfect to fit the rolls.

More about eggplant here.

Brush a halved roll with hazelnut oil and grill until toasty. Spread warm roasted garlic cloves on one half, sliced Suprême on the other half. The warm bread will start to melt the cheese.

Top each side with grilled Japanese eggplant and grilled escarole respectively. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste.

A Supremely Flavorful Sandwich.

Thank you to Ile de France for introducing us to Suprême!