Braised

I love when meat is cooked on the bone. A prime rib roast, Osso Bucco, braised lamb shank, whole roast chicken, BBQ pork chop....on the bone is so much better. There is an almost primal pleasure to taking something by the bone and taking a bite out of it and something ethereal by taking a tough piece of meat and braising it until it changes into a succulent melt in your mouth parcel of heaven. I don't know the chemistry behind a grilled rib eye vs a bone in rib eye and I really don't care, I like it and that's what I'm sticking to. The braising I do know and that's what I really love. It's complex, it's subtle, it's very good....when done right.

Back in Lunenburg one fall season I decided to put Osso Bucco on the menu in my restaurant. A two inch thick piece of veal shank that was transformed over the day into nirvana on a plate. Scott and I loved it when we got an order, because it meant there was some of the rich tomato gravy left over in the pan that was ripe for a few good mops with some crusty French baguette. Remnants of bone marrow, garlic and just enough umami...uhm yum!!! It was a menu dish that required a lot of attention and time in the beginning but was really quite easy to make.

Start with said piece of veal shank. Tie it up so it doesn't fall apart on you. Season well with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. In a heavy pan get your oil nice and hot and sear that piece of inedible meat all over. Take it out of the pan, drain some of the the fat and add some mirepoix and lots of whole garlic. Start caramelising the vegetables, slowly. This is the key, after the initial blast of heat - low and slow is the way to go. Take your time to build flavour. Patience. This is where the complexity comes from. When the vegetables are sufficiently softened a bit, add some good red wine to pick up all the little bits of flavour on the pan. Again, this is where the flavour gets built. A bit of tomato paste, some good veal stock, sprigs of thyme and the shank goes back in. It gets covered and fired into an oven for a few hours to slowly braise. Bone marrow, fat and protein mingle with the vegetables, the acidic nature of the wine and tomatoes...low and slow. When the meat is done...gently remove it to rest and you take all that goodness left in your pan to make a sauce to go with the shank. Simple right? Time consuming? Yes. But oh so worth it. Kind of like life sometimes....don't you think?

Really....food porn to the meaning of life? Damn straight. At least for me. Figure out your own way I say. Low and slow my friends. Take the time to appreciate the complexities around you. Absorb them, let them make you more than you were. Have the long view to life. Have your moments of high heat as needed but a true appreciation for life comes from living it. Dreams and hope with a smattering of adventure. It really is a journey and no two of us are going to have the same one...enjoy yours, make it yours.

I was out with a special someone recently and we were talking about how we like us at this age. We are better, know more and know ourselves more. Absolutely!! I am loving this time of my life because I have taken the low and slow approach to learning about life and myself. Making mistakes, learning from them and getting better each day. We can appreciate the simple joy of sharing some wine and good conversation. Throw in some food and music and we have ourselves a perfect kind of world. For me at least.

As a side note, thanks to all the people that donated today to Feed Nova Scotia while we were out in this wonderful weather asking for your change. Kind of renews your faith in humanity to see the kindness.

Ciao
D