My inspiration for chicken osso bucco was two-fold.
I love the sauce for osso bucco, so rich and flavourful, and I am also fond of gremolata, the parsley, garlic, lemon mixture. But the texture of braised veal is not my favourite. Loving chicken, and especially chicken legs and thighs, it seemed like a good idea to try the technique of a traditional osso bucco with poultry.
CHICKEN OSSO BUCCO
Buy whole chicken legs with thighs attached and divide the leg and the thigh into 2 (or have the butcher do it).
Chicken skin becomes tasteless in a braise but you need it to prevent the chicken from drying out. The solution: Rebake the legs in the oven for a few minutes until the skin recrisps.
Sit them on a bed of the superb sauce and sprinkle with the gremolata for a sensational dish.
what you need
Chicken:
1 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
6 chicken legs
1/4 cup olive oil
Sauce:
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
11/2 cups drained canned tomatoes, chopped
1 1-inch strip orange rind
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
Gremolata:
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley 1 chopped anchovy (optional)
what you do
Place flour in a shallow bowl and season well with salt, pepper and rosemary. Dredge chicken legs in flour to lightly coat.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet or sauté pan over high heat. Working in batches, brown legs about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Reserve. Drain fat from pan and wipe out any burnt flour with a paper towel.
Reduce heat to medium and add remaining oil, onion, carrots, celery and garlic and sauté until onion is softened, about 2 minutes. Pour in wine, bring to boil and boil until wine is reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 4 minutes. Add chicken stock and tomatoes and bring to boil, stirring. Add orange rind, bay leaf and thyme.
Turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until sauce is thickened slightly.
Return chicken legs to pan, cover, turn heat to low and simmer gently for 25 minutes longer, turning once, or until juices run clear. Remove legs.
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Place chicken, skin side up, on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until skin has crisped.
Combine lemon rind, garlic, parsley and anchovy and sprinkle over each serving.
Serve surrounded with sauce. Serves 6
RISOTTO WITH PEAS
A simplified risotto. The stock is added twice instead of in small increments. The texture is not identical to a well-made risotto, but with all the chicken and sauce, this stands up beautifully.
what you need
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
11/2 cups short-grain Italian rice
3/4 cup dry white wine
4 cups hot chicken stock
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen, defrosted
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt, freshly ground pepper
what you do
Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add rice and stir until coated with oil, then add wine and cook, stirring, until the wine has almost totally evaporated.
Add 2 cups stock, and cook, stirring occasionally, until stock is absorbed.
Add remaining 2 cups stock and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until stock is absorbed and rice is creamy but firm. You may need to add up to ½ cup extra stock. Total time will be about 22 minutes.
Stir in peas, remaining 1 tablespoon butter and cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with osso bucco. Serves 4 to 6
CHOCOLATE, RICOTTA, DRIED APRICOTS AND ALMONDS
A quick, tasty and very rich dessert that also makes a fine tart filling.
what you need
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup ricotta
1/4 cup sour cream (low-fat is fine)
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup Seville orange marmalade with peel
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup blanched almonds, toasted and chopped
what you do
Place chocolate in a small, heavy-bottomed pot over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted. Set aside.
Combine ricotta and sour cream in a medium bowl. Add melted chocolate and stir until mixture is uniform.
Place dried apricots, marmalade and water in a small pot over medium heat.
Bring just to a simmer, then turn heat to low and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until apricots are very soft and liquid just glazes fruit.
To serve: place a spoonful of chocolate ricotta mixture into each of 4 small glasses, sprinkle with glazed apricots and almonds, top with another spoonful of ricotta and finish with remaining apricots and almonds. Serves 4. The Stratford Chefs School and the family of the late Joseph Hoare, ex-food editor of Toronto Life, are sponsoring a celebration luncheon to introduce the Joseph Hoare gastronomic-writer-in-residence program.
The event takes place Nov. 4
at 1 p.m. at Grano, 2035 Yonge St.,
Toronto. Tickets are $250 per person. To reserve, call Kim Cosgrove at 519-271-1414.
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