Veal Osso Buco with Kale Gremolata
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 7¼ hours (slow cooker) or 2¼ hours (oven)
This delicious Italian casserole has been brought up to date with a kale gremolata. If using a slow cooker, you will need at least a five litre capacity cooker.
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 50g plain flour
• 1.2kg veal osso buco
• 2 onions, halved, thinly sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• 250ml dry white wine
• 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 3 tbsp coarsely chopped oregano
• 500ml chicken stock
• 2 fresh or dried bay leaves
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 130g Sicilian green olives, pitted
• creamy polenta or potato mash, to serve
KALE GREMOLATA
• 75g finely chopped kale
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• juice and finely grated zest of ½ lemon
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
IN THE SLOW COOKER
Heat half of the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Place the flour in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dust the osso buco in the flour and cook for 5 minutes until browned. Transfer to the slow cooker. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining oil to the pan. Add the onions, cinnamon and allspice and cook for 4 minutes until the onions have softened. Add the wine and let it boil for 3 minutes, then transfer the mixture to the slow cooker, along with the tomatoes, oregano, stock, bay leaves and lemon zest. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook on low for 6 hours, then gently stir in the olives. Cook for a further hour until the meat is falling off the bone.
For the gremolata, combine the ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then set aside for at least 30 minutes to allow the lemon juice to soften the kale. Serve with polenta or mash and the gremolata.
IN THE OVEN
Preheat oven to 150°C. Follow same method but instead of transferring to a slow cooker, remove the osso buco from the pan and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, cook onions and spices as above, and return osso buco to the pan along with tomatoes, oregano, wine, bay leaves and lemon zest. Season well with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and let it bubble for 1 minute, then add stock and return to the boil. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for 90 minutes. Add the olives and cook for a further 30 minutes until the meat is tender.
See above for gremolata and serving suggestion.
Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 9 hours (slow cooker) or 3 hours (stovetop)
• 1 whole garlic bulb
• 1 x 6cm piece ginger
• 2 white onions
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 star anise
• 4 black cardamom pods
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 500g beef brisket
• 500g beef shin, cut into small pieces
• 60g yellow rock sugar or brown sugar
• 125ml fish sauce
• 300g beef sirloin, very thinly sliced
• rice noodles, herbs, bean sprouts, lime wedges and red chilli, to serve
IN THE SLOW COOKER
Roast the garlic, ginger and onions (unpeeled) over an open flame for 10 minutes until completely blackened. Alternatively, cook under a hot grill for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and, when cool enough to handle, peel and roughly chop. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and toast the cinnamon, star anise, cardamom pods, fennel seeds and peppercorns until fragrant. Transfer to a small piece of muslin and tie with string to make a pouch.
Put the beef brisket and shin, sugar, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, onions, spice pouch, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 litres (8 cups) of water into the slow cooker. Cook on low for nine hours until the meat is tender.
Remove the beef brisket and shin and when cool enough to handle, thinly slice the brisket and shred the shin. Strain the soup through a large fine sieve lined with muslin. Place the sirloin in warmed bowls, then pour over the hot stock. Serve with noodles, herbs, bean sprouts, lime wedges and chilli.
ON THE STOVETOP
Follow above method but instead of the slow cooker, put the beef brisket and shin, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2.5 litres (10 cups) of water into a large, heavy-based saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, skimming off any impurities that rise to the surface. Add the sugar, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, onions and spice pouch to the pan and return to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for 2 hours until the meat is tender.
Continue with previous method.
Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 25 minutes + overnight soaking
Cooking time: 2 hours, 40 minutes (slow cooker) or 1 hour (oven)
• 220g (1 cup) black beans, soaked overnight
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil or rice bran oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 bunch spinach, washed, coarsely chopped
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 long green chillies, finely chopped
• handful coriander (cilantro) roots and stems, cleaned, finely chopped
• 1 tsp raw sugar
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 150g grated cheddar cheese
• 12 corn or small flour tortillas
CHUNKY GUACAMOLE
• 2 ripe avocados, halved
• 100g cherry tomatoes
• handful coriander leaves, chopped
• finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 long green chilli, finely chopped
IN THE SLOW COOKER
Put beans into a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes until almost tender. Drain and rinse, then set aside in a bowl. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic for 5 minutes until the onion is soft. Add spinach and cook for 2 minutes until wilted. Season and add to the bowl of beans. Add tomatoes, cumin, paprika, chillies, coriander roots and stems, sugar and lime juice to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring, then season. Stir 250ml of this sauce and a third of the cheese into the bean mixture, then spoon 4 tablespoons onto each tortilla and roll up to enclose.
Evenly spread 125ml (½ cup) of the sauce over the base of the slow cooker. Lie the enchiladas on top, seam-side down, covering each layer with sauce and cheese. Cook on low for 2 hours.
For the guacamole, mash the avocados and tomatoes with a fork. Stir in the remaining ingredients and season to taste. Serve the enchiladas with the guacamole.
IN THE OVEN
Follow previous method but instead of the slow cooker, preheat oven to 180°C and use a large roasting tin. Evenly spread half a cup of sauce over the base and place enchiladas on top, seam-side down, then spoon over the rest of the sauce and cheese. Bake for 25 minutes until golden.
See previous method to make the guacamole.
An edited extract from Slow Cooking by Olivia Andrews (Murdoch Books, RRP $32.99).
