Osso Bucco di Asti e Porcini Risotto

     This is Italian Asti region fine cooking.  Asti cooking is full of lighter flavors.  Lemon and sage are key flavors in Asti region cooking.  Lemon and sage is a nice simple flavor combination for veal shanks. Butter is often used in Asti recipes.

     Risotto is a classic Italian rice recipe.  The rice is cooked with multiple reductions.  There are many traditional Italian risotto flavors.  Risotto Milanese is made with saffron and it is the most famous risotto.  Porcini risotto has a very rich savory mushroom flavor.
     I worked in an Italian restaurant where we made every risotto to order.  Making risotto takes time and much attention must be focussed on the multiple reductions.  I have seen chefs partially cook the rice ahead of time, so the risotto process takes less time.  The blanched rice method yields a second rate risotto.  Arborio rice is the preferred rice for making Italian risotto.  Arborio rice can require 4 to 5 reductions to be cooked to al dente texture, instead of 3 reductions like for regular rice.
   
     Osso Bucco di Asti Recipe: 
     Heat a saute pan over medium heat.
     Add 1 small splash of blended olive oil.
     Add 4 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add 2 cloves of coarsely chopped garlic.
     Add 2 thick veal shanks that are about 1" thick.
     Add 1 handful of diced carrot.
     Add 1 handful of diced onion.
     Add 1 handful of diced celery.
     Saute the veal shanks and vegetables.
     Saute the veal shanks on both sides, till a little bit of brown color appears.
     Add 1 cup of dry white wine.
     Add 1 bay leaf.
     Add 4 or 5 fresh sage leaves.
     Add sea salt and white pepper.
     Add the juice of 1 lemon.
     Add enough water to completely cover the veal shanks.
     Place the saute pan in a 300 degree oven.  Do not cover the pan!
     Bake the osso bucco in the oven,till the vegetables become tender and the veal shanks become fully cooked.  Flip the veal shanks occasionally.  Allow the water to reduce.
   
     Porcini Risotto Recipe:
     Soak 1 handful of dried porcini mushrooms in water in a refrigerator overnight.
     Pour the porcini and soaking liquid through a strainer into a sauce pot.
     Set the pot of porcini soaking liquid over medium high heat.
     Bring the liquid to a boil.
     Keep the porcini soaking liquid warm over low heat.
     Set the porcini mushrooms on a cutting board.
     Chop the porcini into small pieces.
     Heat a saute pan over medium/medium low heat.
     Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
     Add 2 pats of unsalted butter.
     Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic.
     Add 1/2 cup of rice.
     Quickly stir the rice to destarch the rice.  (Destarching the rice is necessary.)
     Stir the rice for 1 minute.
     Add 3/4 cup of the porcini mushroom broth to the destarched rice.
     Add the chopped porcini mushrooms to the rice.
     Add sea salt and white pepper.
     Stir and reduce the rice and liquid, till the rice becomes almost dry.
     Add 3/4 more cup of porcini broth to the rice.  (If there is not enough porcini broth, then switch to adding light chicken broth.)
     Reduce and stir the rice mixture, till the rice is almost dry.
     Add 3/4 cup of the hot porcini broth or chicken broth.
     Reduce and stir, till the excess liquid is absorbed.  The rice should only have a small amount of liquid in it after the final reduction.
     By this time, after about 20 minutes, the rice should be a little bit creamy and slightly beyond al dente.  (If you used arborio rice, then it may take 1 or 2 more reductions for the rice to be fully cooked.)
     Add 4 pats of unsalted butter, while stirring.
     Add 1 tiny handful of grated parmesan cheese, while constantly stirring.
     Stir the risotto, till it becomes creamy and thick.
     Remove the pan from the heat.
   
     Osso Bucco di Asti e Porcini Risotto:
     Remove the saute pan from the oven and set the veal shanks on a plate.
     Place the pan with the broth and vegetables over a medium hot burner.
     Reduce the broth, till a thin rich broth sauce is formed.
     Remove the bay leaf and the sage leaves.
     Add a tiny squeeze of lemon juice to freshen the lemon flavor.
     Spoon the vegetables and thin sauce around the veal shanks on the plate.
     Spoon the porcini risotto onto the plate.
     Garnish with lemon slices.
   
     By far, this porcini flavored risotto is one of the best tasting risottos of all!  The lemon and sage flavor of the Osso Bucco is nice!  The marrow is cooked to perfection in the photos.  A knife or marrow spoon is needed with this plate of food.  Even after baking and reducing, the vegetables were just beyond al dente and not mushy.  I like Asti cooking and porcini risotto is my favorite risotto.  Yum!  Ciao Baby!  ...  Shawna