Ossobuco sous vide

[PedroG]

Ossobuco sous vide with marrow bones

Ingredients

For 2 servings

• 2 large slices of veal shank
  
• 4 marrowbones
  
• 2 spring onions
  
• 3 celery stalks
  
• 1 carrot (optional)
  
• 160g of Piquillos (grilled peeled red bell peppers)
  
• 1 spoon of tomatoe paste
  
• 2 dl veal stock with 0.5 dl Sherry
  
• 2.5 dl vegetable bouillon
  
• Salt, pepper, 1 tbl.spoon of parsley, condiment (in Switzerland we use "Aromat" by Knorr, which contains sodium chloride, sodium glutamate, lactose, starch, yeast extract, vegetable fats, onions, spices, E552)
  
• olive oil for sautéing, rice bran oil for searing
  
• cream as desired (optional)

SV-cooking

Marinate and bag the veal shanks (after incising the surrounding fascia to avoid cupping), SV 24-36 hrs. at 58.5°C / 137°F for medium (alternatively 6-12 hrs. at 77°C / 173°F for well-done)

Mise en place

• cut the spring onions not too fine (place the first cut below your tongue to avoid tearing during cutting), cut their stalks into fine slices
  
• cut the celery stalks into 3-4mm thick slices
  
• cut the optional carrot in small cubes about 4mm
  
• cut the Piquillos into pieces about 1cm
  
• place a deep skillet (1) with a little olive oil on the stove
  
• place a large heavy skillet (2) with rice bran oil on the stove

Cooking

• in skillet 1, sauté the onions until lightly caramelized, add the celery and onion stalks and optional carrot cubes, continue sautéing, add Piquillos and parsely and spices, deglaze with veal stock, reduce, add tomato paste and vegetable bouillon, continue reducing.
  
• add the marrowbones and baste them with sauce, cover and simmer for 1-2 hrs.
  
• add more Sherry as needed, at the end add some cream if desired
  
• heat skillet 2 with rice bran oil until just smoking, take the veal shanks from the bag, dab dry with paper towel, sear in smoking hot rice bran oil, place them in skillet 1 on top of the sauce after taking out the marrowbones

Serving

• Serve the marrowbones first with bread and fleur de sel (or coarse sea salt).
  
• Serve the veal shanks on a hot dish with the sauce aside, optionally with risotto or polenta.
  

Variations

Maillard products in the sauce

The sauce in sous vide variations of traditional braise recipes is missing the Maillard products from pre-searing the meat. This may be overcome by searing a small amount of ground meat mixed with some flour (and eventually condiment) before sautéing the onions and other ingredients.

Substituting veal shank

The above recipe tastes equally well with other tough cuts of meat, e.g. brisket or short ribs.

Don't forget a glass of good Italian red wine!