Sarafina's Kitchen

Ossobuco (pronounced [ˌɔsːoˈbuːko]) is a Milanese specialty of cross-cut veal shanksbraised with vegetables, white wine and broth. It is often garnished with gremolata and traditionally served with risotto alla milanese.

There are two types of ossobuco: a modern version that has tomatoes and the original version which does not. The older version, ossobuco in bianco, is flavored with cinnamon, bay leaf and gremolata. The modern and more popular recipe includes tomatoes, carrots, celery and onions. Gremolata is optional. (from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossobuco)

from Giada De Laurentiis

• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 dry bay leaf
• 2 whole cloves
• Cheesecloth
• Kitchen twine, for bouquet garni and tying the veal shanks
• 3 whole veal shanks (about 1 pound per shank), trimmed
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All purpose flour, for dredging
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 small carrot, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 stalk celery, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

1. Place the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and cloves into cheesecloth and secure with twine. This will be your bouquet garni.
2. For the veal shanks, pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Veal shanks will brown better when they are dry. Secure the meat to the bone with the kitchen twine. Season each shank with salt and freshly ground pepper. Dredge the shanks in flour, shaking off excess.
3. In a large Dutch oven pot, heat vegetable oil until smoking. Add tied veal shanks to the hot pan and brown all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove browned shanks and reserve.
4. In the same pot, add the onion, carrot and celery. Season with salt at this point to help draw out the moisture from the vegetables. Saute until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Return browned shanks to the pan and add the white wine and reduce liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Add the bouquet garni and 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Check every 15 minutes, turning shanks and adding more chicken stock as necessary. The level of cooking liquid should always be about 3/4 the way up the shank.
5. Carefully remove the cooked shanks from the pot and place in decorative serving platter. Cut off the kitchen twine and discard.
6. Remove and discard bouquet garni from the pot.
7. Pour all the juices and sauce from the pot over the shanks. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest.

Recipe inspired by GreenLiteBites

• About 3 cups cooked spaghetti squash (1 medium one)
• 2 large garden tomatoes sliced
• Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
• Minced Garlic, Onion Powder, Fresh Basil, Dried Parsley for sprinkling
• 8oz of mozzarella

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 11 x 9 casserole dish with non-stick spray.
3. Spread about 1 cup of spaghetti squash on the bottom.
4. Top with a layer of sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with garlic, basil, and spices.
5. Top with cheese.
6. Add another layer of squash, then tomatoes, spices and cheese. Top with a final layer of squash.
7. Top  with the last of the cheese and sprinkle with the spices one last time.
8. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered.

My dad made for this New Year’s Day, and it was amazing.  Like, 5 star restaurant amazing.  Like, give the pork its own recipe photo shoot amazing.

You can stuff the roast and wrap in bacon a day ahead of time, which will allow the meat to absorb more of the flavors.

• 3 pound boneless Pork Loin

For stuffing:

• 1/4 lb. dried apricots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 lb. pitted prunes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (Dad used cranberries)
• 2/3 cup ruby port
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 3/4 stick unsalted butter
• 1 tart apple such as Granny Smith, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• For roast:
• 1 (2- to 3-pound) boneless pork loin, butterflied
• 6 to 8 bacon slices
• Salt and pepper
• For port sauce:
• 1/2 cup ruby port
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• 2 tsp. flour

1. An hour before you plan to cook the meat, remove the loin from the fridge and rest, covered, on the counter.
2. In a small saucepan with the lid on, simmer apricots, prunes (or other dried fruit) and port for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, still covered, for 10 minutes.
3. Cook onion and shallot in butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add apple, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until apple is just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in apricot mixture and cool.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rub salt and pepper on the outside of the butterflied pork loin and then open the meat on a cutting board. Spread the cooled mixture in the middle. Close the loin and, using kitchen twine, tie the roast in several places to keep the filling in place. (I found that turning the stuffed loin on its side, with the crease on a cutting board and the open end on the top, allowed me to securely tie the meat without the stuffing falling out. Place strips of bacon on top of the loin.
5. Put the stuffed and bacon-wrapped meat on a rack in a heavy roasting pan and roast for 15 minutes. Then reduce temperature to 325 degrees and continue roasting for another 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the loin, until a thermometer registers 140 degrees. Transfer roast to a cutting board, reserving pan juices, and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Skim fat from pan drippings and reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons fat. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners and add port to drippings, then deglaze pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. (If your roasting pan is not suited for use on the stove-top, you’ll have to skip this sauce-making method.) Strain pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids.
7. Cook shallot in reserved fat in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in pan juices, 1 1/4 cups water and any reserved fruit stuffing and bring to a simmer. Whisk together flour and 1/4 cup water until smooth, then whisk into sauce with any juices from cutting board.
8. Simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Carve roast, removing kitchen twine, if using, then serve with sauce. Serves 4 to 6.