Recipe: Slow-roasted osso buco with red wine gravy and cauliflower mash

Ingredients

Osso bucco
1,5 – 2kg osso buco (beef shanks)
15ml (1 tbsp) Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cake flour, to dust
30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
30g butter
3 medium onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
750ml (3 cups) good red wine
Boiling water, to cover
Few sprigs fresh rosemary

Cauliflower mash
1 large cauliflower head
Handful mature Cheddar, grated
15g butter
Splash milk
Splash cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch nutmeg, grated

To serve
Green beans, steamed
Pumpkin and sesame seeds, to sprinkle
Microherbs, to garnish

Method
1. For the osso buco, preheat the oven to 160°C. Rub the osso buco with Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper. Dust the meat with the flour and shake off any excess.

2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large ovenproof pot over medium heat, and brown the meat. Once brown, remove from the pot and set aside.

3. Sauté the onions until translucent, add the garlic and fry, 2 minutes. Lay the meat back in the pot and add the red wine, boiling water (enough to cover the meat) and fresh rosemary. Cover the pot and place in a hot oven, 2 – 2½ hours, checking hourly and adding a little boiling water if necessary.

4. For the cauliflower mash, steam the cauliflower until tender, 5 – 10 minutes. Leave the florets in a colander for a few minutes to drain excess water. In a mixing bowl, mix the cheese and butter with the cauliflower until the cheese has melted (heat if necessary). Add a splash of milk and cream then, using a stick blender, blitz until smooth. Season and add the nutmeg to taste.

5. Remove the osso buco from the oven – the meat should be tender – and serve with the cauliflower mash, green beans, and a sprinkling of pumpkin and sesame seeds. Garnish with microherbs.

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