Okay I’ve written much about stews and slow cooking elsewhere. The reason is I think such fare the perfect meals. Prep time is minimal. The food is ready whenever you are. They taste great.
One of my favourites is Osso Bucco. This week I stumbled across the Ur-recipe, the Betty Crocker version of Osso Bucco. It’s so good I wouldn’t modify it, although clearly it’s merely the launching pad for more complex models. But seriously, this works beautifully with nothing more.
– a pound of ham shanks give or take
– one cooking onion (two if their small)
– 1 small can (400 mls / 14 oz) diced tomatoes
– 1/2 cup white wine
– 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
Fry the onions in the oil till translucent. Stop before they turn golden. Add the tomatoes, ham shanks, and wine. Cook slowly for a couple of hours. Flip the shanks occasionally when the top surface seems dry.
I served mine over white rice cooked in commercial chicken broth instead of water. I also added 4 strands of saffron. I expect the dish would still be delicious without either of these furbelews.
We had this a fruity garnacha (BaoSao) from Spain. Worked great. But almost any wine that wasn’t too tannic would work fine.