Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

6 Veal shanks -pith removed
-(abt 3 3/4 lb total) 1 lg Bouquet garni
1/4 c Moroccan Spice Rub -(2 bay leaves and
12 Garlic clove(s), skin on -2 large sprigs each
4 tb Olive oil -thyme, rosemary,
3 tb Butter -and parsley)
2 lg Onion(s), chopped 5 c Chicken, veal or beef stock
2 lg Carrots, chopped Kosher salt and
3 lg Celery ribs, chopped -freshly ground
1 c White wine -black pepper to taste
1 3" piece lemon zest

---------------------MOROCCAN SPICE RUB--------------------------
1 tb Ground cumin 1/2 ts Ground cloves
1 tb Paprika 2 tb Lemon juice
1 tb Ground black pepper 3 tb Chopped garlic
1 tb Ground coriander 1/4 c Olive oil
1 ts Cayenne

Moroccan Spice Rub: Put all the ingredients in a food processor and
blend, scraping the sides occasionally, until you have a paste.

Veal Shanks: Smear the shanks with the spice rub, cover, and marinate
in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Meanwhile, toss the unpeeled garlic cloves with 1 tbs of the olive
oil and loosely wrap them in aluminum foil. Roast in a 400øF oven
until the cloves are soft, 50-60 minutes. Set aside; refrigerate if
more than 4 hours before braising.

Adjust the oven to 325øF. Scrape excess marinade from the shanks.

Brown the meat and vegetables: Heat the rest of the olive oil in a
large roasting pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil
is very hot, add the shanks and set aside. Add the butter and when it
starts to foam, add the onion, carrots, and celery, and saut? for 3
minutes. Turn the heat to low and continue saut?ing until the
vegetables are soft, golden brown, and caramelized, 25-30 minutes. If
the vegetables start to stick to the pan, pour in a splash of white
wine to deglaze. When the vegetables are ready, add the remaining
wine, scraping up any browned bits, and reduce over high heat until
the pan is nearly dry.

Simmer all the ingredients: Put the shanks back in the pan. Add the
zest, bouquet garni, stock, and garlic cloves. The liquid should
cover two-thirds of the meat; add more if needed. Bring to a simmer.
Skim off any visible fat.

Cover the dish tightly and put it in the oven. After an hour,
degrease the sauce again and baste the shanks with the liquid. Cover
again and cook for another 45 minutes. Remove the cover and turn the
shanks over. After another 15 minutes, turn the shanks again and
check for doneness. Repeat every 15 minutes until the shanks are
fork-tender.

If you're making the dish ahead, refrigerate the cooking liquid and
shanks separately. When you're ready to reheat the shanks, remove the
fat from the liquid (it will have solidified into one piece) and
discard it. Put the shanks and cooking liquid in a roasting pan,
cover with foil, and reheat in a 400øF oven for 15-20 minutes.

Remove the shanks from the liquid and keep warm.

Finish the sauce: Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a small
saucepan, pressing all liquid from the vegetables. Spoon off any
grease from the liquid. You should have at least 2« cups of liquid.
Bring the sauce to a simmer and reduce it to about 1« cups. Check the
viscosity of the sauce as you go; if it coats the back of a spoon,
it's ready. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Serve on a bed of something to soak up the meat's delicious sauce;
couscous, mashed potatoes, rice, or tiny pasta.

Serve with simple saut?ed greens, garnished with oven-dried tomatoes.

Fine Cooking October-November 1995
Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 09-29-95

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