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Beautiful braise

Nothing is more satisfying on a cold winter day than a hot meal cooked with time and care using one of the most underappreciated cooking techniques — the braise.

Nothing is more satisfying on a cold winter day than a hot meal cooked with time and care using one of the most underappreciated cooking techniques — the braise.

Braising involves browning meat and then cooking it low and slow in liquid — often flavoured with stock, wine, beer or even water. The liquid tenderizes even the toughest cuts of meat and provides the building blocks for the most delicious, soul-satisfying sauce that makes a braise magic in a stock pot.

While braise recipes might appear labour intensive, what with browning meat in batches, cooking vegetables separately and deglazing of pans, the steps are simple, following time-honoured practices. Besides, the results are more than worth the wait!

Chicken Cacciatore

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 sweet green pepper, chopped

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 c. chicken broth (low sodium)

1/3 c. tomato paste

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

Toss chicken in flour, salt and pepper until well coated. In large shallow Dutch oven, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in batches and transfer to plate. Drain fat from pan.

Heat remaining oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry onion, garlic, green pepper and herbs until tender, about four minutes. Stir in tomatoes, stock and tomato paste and bring to boil.

Return chicken and any juices to pan and reduce heat. Simmer until thickened and juices run clear when chicken is pierced, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 4

Osso Bucco (Braised Veal Shanks)

8 to 10 large veal shanks (2 1/2 inches thick)

1 c. flour for dredging the veal shanks

7 tbsp. unsalted butter

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

1 1/2 cups onion, finely chopped

3/4 c. chopped carrots

3/4 c. chopped celery

1 tsp. minced garlic

3 to 4 c. beef broth

1 1/2 c. peeled, seeded, and chopped tomato,

1 cheesecloth bag with 7 fresh parsley sprigs, 5 fresh thyme sprigs, and 1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Butcher's twine

Pat dry veal shank with paper towel. Wrap butcher's twine around the outside edge of the shank and make a knot. This ensures the meat stays attached to the bone.

Season the veal shanks with salt and pepper. Pour flour into a pie plate and dredge shanks, shaking off the excess. In a heavy skillet heat 3 tbsp. of the butter and 3 tbsp. of oil over moderately high heat. Brown the veal shanks in batches, adding more butter and oil as necessary. Transfer browned shanks to a platter.

Next, deglaze the pan by adding the wine until it boils. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits clinging to the bottom and sides of the skillet. Continue cooking until the liquid reduces to about 1/2 c. Reserve the liquid in a small bowl.

Heat a Dutch oven over moderately low heat. Add onion, the carrots, the celery and the garlic in the remaining 4 tbsp. butter over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened. Add the veal shanks, and enough of the broth to almost cover the meat. Spread the tomatoes over the shanks, add the cheesecloth bag, salt and pepper to taste and bring the liquid to a simmer over moderately high heat.

Braise the mixture, covered, in the middle of a preheated 325 F. oven for two hours, or until the veal is tender. Transfer the shanks to an ovenproof serving dish and discard the strings, cover with foil to keep warm.

Strain the pan juices into a saucepan, pressing hard on the solids, and skim the fat. Boil the juices for 15 minutes, or until they are reduced to about 3 cups. Baste the shanks with the reduced juices, and bake them for another 10 minutes, basting often until well glazed.

Serves 4 to 8

Irish Stew

1 1/2 pounds bacon, diced

6 lbs. boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 c. flour

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 c. Irish stout

4 c. beef stock

2 tsp. sugar

4 c. diced carrots

2 large onions, cut into bite-size pieces

3 potatoes

1 tsp. dried thyme

2 bay leaves

1 c. white wine

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.

Season lamb with salt and pepper. Toss in a large bowl with flour until evenly coated. Brown meat in batches in frying pan with bacon fat.

Place meat into a Dutch oven or stockpot. Drain all but 1 tbsp. of fat from the frying pan. Add the garlic and yellow onion and cook until golden.

Deglaze the pan with the stout and add the garlic-onion mixture to the stockpot with bacon pieces, beef stock, and sugar. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Add carrots, onions, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and wine to pot. Reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Serves 10

Braised Beef Short Ribs

2 1/2 lbs. (about 1 kg) beef short ribs

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 stalk celery, diced

4 carrots, diced

1 medium onion, chopped

3 shallots, chopped

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp. tomato paste

2 tbsp. flour

2 1/2 c. red wine

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

8 sprigs fresh thyme

3 c. beef stock

Salt and pepper

Cut each long rib in half and season with salt and ground pepper.

In a Dutch oven, heat oil on medium heat. Add the ribs in batches and brown on all sides. Once browned, remove from pot and set aside.

Add carrots, celery, onion, shallot and garlic to the pot and cook until softened. Add tomato paste and flour. Stir to combine. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the wine and turn heat to medium-high. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until mixture begins to reduce. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Add the stock, herbs and ribs the to the pot. Cover with a tight lid and put the pot into a 375 F oven. Cook for three hours until the meat is very tender.

Remove the ribs from the pot with tongs and set the meat aside. Strain the remaining sauce into a saucepan, discarding the herbs and any solids. Bring to a boil and reduce for about 10 minutes. Pour over the ribs and enjoy.

Serves 4

Braised Red Cabbage

6 c. thinly sliced red cabbage

3/4 c. red wine

1 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. vegetable oil

1 small red onion, sliced

1 apple, peeled, cored and sliced

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp. gin

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

In saucepan, combine cabbage, wine, sugar, oil, onion, apple, bay leaf, gin, cinnamon, salt and thyme.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Cover and simmer until cabbage is very tender, about 45 minutes.

Serves 8

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