It's cold cold winter here.
Time to use a lot of my slow cooker.
A dinner that can easily be prepared the night before.
This time, slow braised lamb in passata with gnocchi - the fluffy potato dumplings.
The night before, brown all sides of the meat (I'd love to be able to do it just before the slow cooking process starts, but as previous posts states, I start working roughly 7am every morning) and make a bouquet garni of parsley, bay leave, rosemary and mint.
The next day, cut the veggies, zucchini and fresh tomatos and an onion and 2 cloves of garlic, lay at the bottom of the slow cooker, add lamb pieces - shanks, and necks, and add passata, white wine and bouquet garni.
Let it cook for the day.
The job is then easy when I came home. While the lamb is simmering, make gnocchi.
500g desiree potato with 100g flour plus extra to dust, will usually give my family enough potato gnocchis. The children are not specific about the seashell shapes and they are happy with the rustic cuts. Gnocchis don't take long to cook, and this is a lovely winter meal...
We all love Italian food in the family, and we do try to find as traditional dishes as possibly can...
This is my adaption of Veal Osso Bucco, a dish I saw on Italian Food Safari...
For the Gremolata:
Zest of 1 leomon
1.5 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
5 sprigs parsley
Pinch of sea salt flakes
Mince garlic and parsley, add salt and lemon zest, and olive oil, and stir well, serve with Osso Bucco.
For the Gnocchi:
450g Potato
80g plain flour
Pinch of salt.
Boil potato in skin, when ready, take them out and dry in colander, when still warm, use ricer to make mash, mix with flour, knead dough. Gently form a long stripe, shape gnocchi into shell shape at the back of fork, and cooked for 2-3 minutes in boiled water.
Drain well. Melt butter in pan, and gently toss gnocchi in pan.
For the Osso Bucco:
4 Pieces of Veal Osso Bucco
1 Can of Diced Italian Tomato
Dried Herbs – Oregano, Mint, Bay Leaves…
2 tbsp Tomato Paste
1/3 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic
1 onion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Greek Yoghurt
1 cup Veal Stock (or beef stock)
Fresh parsley, a handful
80g fresh mushroom slices.
Salt and Raw sugar to taste
Heat olive oil in pan, add in thinly sliced onion and crushed garlic, caramelise till bit fragrant, place veal osso bucco on top of caramelised onion.
Add dried herbs, sear both sides of osso bucco.
Add tomato paste and diced tomato, add salt.
Add white wine, sugar and mix well.
Add stock and place mushroom slices and chopped parsley loosely on top.
Simmer for 2 hours.
Add yoghurt and simmer mix well, simmer for further 30 minutes.
And, this is dinner..
