Slow Braised Veal Shin
WARNING: soapbox speech!
The morals issues associated with the consumption of veal are divisive. Images of doe eyed calves fuel emotional animal rights arguements that subsume the facts about veal production. They heavily influence the acceptance of veal by consumers. It may seem irksome to think about the consuming meat from a calf but to be able to make educated ethical choices, you must confront the facts.
It’s a grim reality that the majority of calves born to keep dairy cows lactating are considered a waste product and are despatched to the abbatoir in the first ten days of life, not for human consumption, but to be used in the pharamceutical and leather industries. In line with the UK and Europe the crate raising of calves is banned in Australia, yet only a relatively small number of calves are fattened to marketable weight for the table. Which ever way you look at it, bobby veal is a byproduct of our enormous dairy industry. Be aware, be grateful and consume veal, the only other choice is to become a vegan.
Phew, now down to the business of cooking veal.
Thickly cut sections of veal shank braised in white wine and aromatics are delicately flavoured, spoon soft and unctious. Commonly marketed as “osso buco,” do not confuse this cut of meat with the more readily available yearling beef or gravy beef on the bone sold under the same name. Beef will produce a much more robust style of braise.
Because I’ve been forced to eliminate garlic and onion from my diet, the adjustments I’ve had to make to this recipe preclude it from the Italian genre, no longer do I make osso buco, now it’s plain old braised veal shin on the bone. However, the flavour difference is indiscernable.
Perfect for a cold winter’s night!
Slow Braised Veal Shin
6 thick meaty pieces of veal shank on the bone
2 heaped tablespoons rice flour
2 tablespoon olive oil
30g butter
1 bunch (12) of baby carrots, peeled and sliced 1cm thick
2 sticks of celery, washed and diced
2 ripe fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
3 strips of lemon peel
6-8 stems of leafy fresh lemon thyme
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon brown sugar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
gremolata:
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pre heat the oven to 150C.
Tie the herbs and zest into a neat bundle with kitchen string. Set aside.
Heat the butter and half the oil together in a saute pan.
Toss the pieces of veal in the rice flour, shake off any excess.
Over a medium gentle heat, brown the veal throughly all over.
Heat the other tablespoon of oil in a deep lidded cast iron casserole dish, then gently saute the carrot and celery until transluscent.
Add the veal to the vegetables when well caramelized then add the bundle of herbs.
Deglaze the saute pan with the wine, scraping all the crusty pieces off the pan.
Reduce the wine by half then add the tomatoes, asafoetida and stock.
Bring the pan to the boil then tip the liquids over the meat and vegetables, adding a little water if necessary to completely submerge the meat.
Cover the surface of the food with a piece of baking paper, cover then oven braise for 1 1/2 hours.
Chill over night to mature the flavour and coagulate the surface fat.
The next day lift all the fat off the surface.
Gently reheat the braised veal on the stove top
Combine the gremolata ingredients.
To serve, scatter over the gremolata over the braised veal.
Serves 4
Delicious served with saffron risotto and steamed greens
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38 comments on “Slow Braised Veal Shin”
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Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Please Pass the Recipe 
Very interesting, always good to be better informed. Unfortunately this one is WAY too complex for me so I’ll just have to have veal when I eat out 🙂
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Looks like a beautiful dish and I have no problem eating veal… although I have a friend who disagrees. 🙂
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Thanks Moya, we all make choices for reasons we feel comfortable with, I like to make informed choices…
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Good on you for getting on the soapbox Sandra, and I agree; I prefer to be mindful too. It’s possible to find ethically-farmed veal. I’m a Dutchie and veal is commonly used in traditional Dutch recipes. I just can’t imagine making Dutch croquettes with any other type of meat! In Dutch ‘veal’ is ‘kalfsvlees’, literally ‘calf meat’. No beating around the bush! I do love their literal translations. Your braised shin looks just beautiful, and kudos to you for adding asafoetida! Great idea for a flavour hit.
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Thanks Saskia. I like the “no hiding behind facts” Dutch name for veal…
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I am pretty OK with cooking with veal. They cook fast and flavorful. Looking at the list of the ingredients, it tells how fragrant and deliciously you made this dish.
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Thanks Fae, a tasty warming dinner for winter
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Oh well! Stefano has already made clear our opinion about that!
I cook veal every week for my family and I often serve a veal dish to my dinner party guests. I still have to find a guest (who is not vegetarian of course) that, after telling me that my dish was one of the best meat dishes he/she has ever had and be told that it was veal, has shown any kind of remorse!
I love your veal and all the vegetables and the herbs that you picked! Must be delicious!
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Thanks Francesca, i love veal too and while I don’t believe I need to justify what I choose to eat to anyone, I prefer,to be a mindful consumer
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Ha! Great post and great recipe, Sandra.
I am 110% with you on the whole veal “debate”. I see it kind of moot as (beside the excellent points that you raise), following the reasoning – should we feel good that we let the poor calf live only to wait for it to grow into an adult which we can then slaughter and consume guilt-free in the form of a juicy rib-eye steak? Doesn’t make too much sense to me, but then again I am a total carnivore and I eat and enjoy any kind of meat 🙂
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I agree wholeheartedly. Consume and enjoy the beast no matter the age. My hackles rise when I hear people say they couldn’t possibly eat calf, but they’ll scoff a cheeseburger without a second thought!
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Great soapbox speech. Eating meat is a human thing to do, and it doesn’t make sense to eat beef but not veal. Or chicken only if it doesn’t have bones to remind one it comes from a bird. Good recipe, too. Don’t think anyone would mind the lack of onion or garlic.
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Thanks Stefan, we should be mindful of the source of our food..
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Great post Sandra. You’re right – it’s a choice, and a personal choice at that. I don’t expect the veal police showing up at my door, nor do I expect the vegan police. It’s preferable to make educated choices, but beyond that, it’s nobody’s business! Just like religion, politics, and sexual orientation. Great recipe!
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Thanks Mimi, I get on my high horse when I hear people say ugh to food based purely on emotion. I’m getting old and grumpy I guess!
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Sandra – I grew up earlier than you in a hugely foodie atmosphere and my first husband and I used veal ere its ‘pink’ and ‘white’ appearances quite frankly not thinking about the industry. Our very, very favourite meat !!!! The scene has hugely changed but I still absolutely love a proper ‘mustard veal schnitzel’ when one is presented to me. I also appreciate the plusses and minuses of the industry . . . so love one of my fave recipes ‘your way’ but watch the covenance . ., .
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I almost went vego after reading Peter Singer’s book “Animal Liberation” in the late 70s, then it was pointed out to me that he was talking about European farming practices and that feedlots and crate raising were unknown in Australia. Awareness, acknowledgement and enjoyment are the key IMHO
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Interesting that most of the newborn calves are sent off for the pharmaceutical and leather industries – yet I can only assume that most people don’t really stop to think about this when buying a lovely new handbag or pair of shoes…
I don’t buy veal very often (more for the fact that I only have a couple of recipes that include it – like Veal Scallopine), though I certainly always look for free-range and grass-fed, with whatever meat I’m buying and locally farmed if possible too.
A gorgeous winter dish Sandra, that I would love to try! Love the gremolata topping to finish it off – yum!
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I’m particular about the source of all my food too and support local and ethical producers as much as possible. I bet there are lots of vegetarians toting soft leather handbags!!
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I’m not a big fan of veal. I’ve always found it bland. Your mix of ingredients obviously makes the difference. The asafoetida, in particular (never tried it) must tart the dish up.
I occasionally confront the facts when I see a truck carrying cattle whizzing by. As you say, the alternate choice is to become vegan. Not ready to do it yet.
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All for mindful consumption Mary. The texture of some cuts of veal is challenging for me, but shin is super delicious, like shank is to other cuts of lamb
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Keeping it real Mrs R. It’s all true, this once vegetarian still has moments of hypocrisy about what meat I will and won’t cook with. (On saying that, I do sometimes cook veal. Then I feel bad but not bad enough not cook it…if that makes sense.) A clever adaptation using asafoetida. Perfect winter fare.
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I think you totally did the right thing by attacking the subject right at the beginning of your post.
So many people do not want to know about slaughtering – which doesn’t make any sense. By talking about it and being aware of how our meat are produced and slaughtered we also help the industry becoming better and more sustainable. So please do keep on writing about it – everybody needs to be able to talk and hear about this.
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I’ve always eaten veal even knowing what it was. I agree with Nancy that the humane treatment of all things living should be forefront. This dish looks absolutely moist and delicious. I’ve never cooked veal but order it out. I’ll have to give it a try.
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Interesting discussion about veal production. I’d really like to read into the area a bit more. Do you have any recommended reading? The recipe looks delicious btw 🙂
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Brendon the raising of bobby calves varies from country to country. My assertions are based on the Australian dairy industry. I understand that Europe and the UK have legislated to ensure that calves are raised humanely. I am unsure about the US. Wherever you’re located I’m sure a google search will give you some relevant local information.
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Cheers for the info. Will definitely look into it. I’m based in Sydney 🙂
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Well know you put it like that it makes sense re: veal. I’ve never given it much thought about what happens to most of the calves. You’ve packed a whole lot of flavour into the braise without any onion and garlic – it’s a perfect winter supper.
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Thanks Nancy, I know it seems a bit brutal to talk about slaughtering calves, but………
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I see plenty of brutal things at my wet market every day – live turtles & bullfrogs being cut in half and chicken dispatched in the blink of an eye. As long as the veal is raised ethically and has a good but albeit short life I think it’s better it gets eaten and appreciated than go to waste.
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That’s how I feel too Nancy. You would be far more exposed to the realities of,your food sources in Shanghai than we are in Melbourne
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It’s interesting seeing hing used in a trad ‘western’ dish, but then it makes sense if you can’t eat onion and garlic. Hindus use it ( well Strict ones do) in this way. But then you probably know this.
As for your soap box concerns, many people are so strange about what meat they eat and don’t eat. I think the demise of the real butcher, and the fashion for meat pre-packed in little trays in supermarkets has led to this fussiness amongst meat eaters.
One of the reasons I eat fish is that I can catch it, kill it, chop it up, gut it, and so on. Yet there are many who find a this all too graphic.
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Modern society has become desensitized about so much and sadly meat on plastic wrapped poly trays in the supermarket creates an illusion of manufacture, not slaughter. I try not to take the creatures that feed me for granted, fish, beast nor fowl and buy from a less sanitized enviroment. The hunting instinct is long gone, but the gatherer in me is live and well.
PS Thinking of your trip, do you have the book “Camp Snaps” to find the less regimented campgrounds?
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We have camps apps, all sorts of camp books, but I’ll ask Signore Tranquillo about ‘camp shots’ as he is the camping project officer and I am along for the ride.So far, I’m not overly impressed. I remember in the 90s that there were roadside stalls with tropical fruits. So far, I haven’t seen one! Coles and Woolworths have taken over Far North queensland. Like you, my joy in travelling is often about gathering local bits and pieces to cook or eat. The first night was truley horrible- in a caravan park in Palm Cove, a swanky northern beach some distance from Cairns. We were given the last little tiny plot in the place! Couldn’t even eat outside as I felt I was part of the next doors camp. Now in Port Douglas- a little better, more private, but at $45.00 a day, you get road noise, some power, and a toilet block! We will see what happens. So uninspired, not taking photos and not blogging!
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Just a few kilometres north is Wonga Beach, I have friends who have camped there weeks on end, right on the beach. Might be worth a look!
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Thanks for the tip. Wonga was full. But Cape Trib was spacious and just right. even better, no phone or internet access. Wild and special.
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Holidays are meant to be relaxing and it’s hard to do that when cheek by jowl with strangers. I always feel as if I’m deep in suburbia when I’m in a caravan park. I hope the remainder of your break up north is stress free..
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Mr T said, yes we have it.
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