Osso buco in Spiced Coffee Sauce

Osso buco is one of the highlights of Milanese cuisine. This traditional dish of braised veal shanks is given a modern twist with an unusual coffee flavor.

Patience is a virtue when you’re preparing Osso buco. This Milanese dish of braised veal shanks tastes even better the longer it is simmered in its sauce. You can even let it cook all night. In this recipe, the spicy vegetable stock is given a whole new flavor thanks to the addition of ground Arabica coffee beans, while the herby lemon gremolata adds a delicious tang. 

4-6 Portions

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 700 g beef bones
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 350 g soup vegetables
• 2 celery sticks
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 large apple
• 25 g coffee beans (Arabica)
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds 
• 2 cloves
• ½ tsp cumin (cumin seeds)
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 stems of marjoram (or ½ tbsp dried marjoram)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 red chili
• 200 ml fresh tart cherry juice (from health food shops)
• salt
• 4-6 slices of osso buco (sliced veal shank, approx. 4 cm thick),
• 2-3 tsp ras el hanout (north African spice mix)
• flour for dusting
• melted butter for frying
• a little honey to taste

Gremolata (herby spice mixture):

• ½ tbsp coarse sea salt
• ½ bunch each of flat-leaved parsley and chives
• 1 handful of celery leaves
• 1-1 ½ tbsp freshly grated organic lemon zest
• 1 clove of garlic (finely sliced)
• kitchen string

Preparation:

1. Cut the unpeeled onion into 3 slices. Place the onion slices and bones together on the universal baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on the third level up from the bottom. Settings: Large grill / 240°C.
2. Crush the garlic. Dice the vegetables and the apple. After around 15–20 minutes, add them to the pan, turning and moving the bones with a spatula. Grill until brown for 30 minutes, turning frequently.
3. Grind the coffee beans, coriander seeds, cloves, and cumin in a mortar and sprinkle over the vegetable and bone mixture together with the peppercorns. Add the tomato paste, then grill and roast for a further 2 minutes. Pour the contents of the baking sheet into a pan, add the marjoram, bay leaves, and chili, top up with 1 l cold water, bring to the boil, cover, and leave to simmer over a very low heat for at least 6 hours (overnight is better).
4. Pass the stock through a fine sieve, squeezing the liquid out of the residue. Set aside the stock and return the residue to the pan, top up with 400 ml cold water, simmer for another 20 minutes, and pass through the sieve to add it to the reserved stock. Dispose of the residue and skim the fat from the stock. Add 150 ml cherry juice and ½ tsp salt and simmer uncovered to reduce the liquid to 600–700 ml.
5. Tie kitchen string around the osso buco slices, season lightly with salt and ras el hanout, and then sprinkle generously with flour. Preheat the oven. Settings: Top / Bottom Heat / 160°C.
6. Warm the melted butter in the small Miele Gourmet Roaster and cook the slices of meat for 8–10 minutes until they are browned all over. Pour off the fat. Add the reduced spiced stock. Place the roaster in the oven on the second shelf up from the bottom and braise uncovered for 50–60 minutes. Turn the slices once during cooking.
7. In the meantime, crush the salt for the gremolata, finely chop the herbs, and mix with the lemon zest and sliced garlic. Warm the plates.
8. Season the braising sauce to taste with salt, a glug of cherry juice, and a little honey. Place the osso buco slices on the plate, pour over a little of the sauce, and serve sprinkled with the gremolata. Serve the remaining sauce and gremolata separately.

Tips:

• Serve with glazed morello cherries and millet and celery risotto.
• Order your veal shank slices directly from the butcher.
• Remove very large slices from the bone before serving and divide into portions.

 

Production: Regine Smith Thyme
Food styling: Marlies Klosterfelde-Wentzel
Styling: Katrin Heinatz
Photo: © Wolfgang Kowall