birthday boy

It's my hubby's birthday today so we started off with a breakfast omelette {his new fave} and he's having the day off to 

1. Improve his golf game on the Wii

2. Go for a run and time himself with his new sports watch.

Tonight, for dinner, he's requested Osso buco Milanese, so I'm off to the butcher soon to buy some veal shanks, canaroli rice and saffron for the risotto. 

Birthday's are bliss.

Osso Buco Milanese *

serves 6

6 3cm-thick centre-cut milk-fed veal shin

plain flour, seasoned to taste

60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil

20gm butter

2 sticks of celery, finely diced

1 onion, finely chopped

250ml (1 cup) dry white wine

500ml (2 cups) beef stock

3 fresh bay leaves

3 sprigs of thyme

2 pieces of lemon rind

gremolata

1 cup firmly packed flat-leaf parsley

Rind of 1 lemon

2 cloves of garlic

Milanese risotto

50gm butter

100gm beef marrow

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups canaroli rice

1 pinch saffron

1 litre (four cups) chicken stock

40gm grana Padano, finely grated

1. Dust the veal shin with flour, removing excess. Heat half the olive oil in a large casserole, and cook veal in batches over medium heat until browned. Remove from pan. Add remaining olive oil and butter to same pan. When butter has melted, add celery and onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add wine, stock, bay leaves, thyme and lemon rind. Bring to boil and simmer for five minutes. Return osso buco to pan. Cover and cook at 180 degrees celcius for 90 minutes, or until tender.

2. For gremolata, place all ingredients on a chopping board and finely chop. Place in a bowl and season to taste, then cover and refrigerate until required.

3. For risotto, heat half the butter in a heavy based pan, add marrow and cook for five minutes or until browned and almost dissolved. Add onion and garlic and cook for five minutes or until softened but not coloured. Stir in rice and cook for another two minutes, then add saffron and 1/2 cup of stock at a time, stirring until stock is absorbed before adding more. Stir through remaining buttr and grana Padano and season to taste. Divide risotto among bowls, top with osso buco and pan juices and serve with gremolata on the side.

* recipe from Gourmet Traveller