Title: Wolfgang Puck's Braised Veal with Red Wine Sauce
Categories: American, Wine, Veal, Sauces, Fruit
Yield: 8 Servings
2 c Assorted dried fruits;
-(prunes, apricots, figs)
1 Bottle port
4 lb Veal shank meat
1/2 c All-purpose flour
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1/4 c Olive oil
1/2 c Brunoise of onion
1/2 c Brunoise of carrot
1/2 c Brunoise of celery
1 c Blanched whole almonds
1 Bottle red wine
3 c Beef stock; more or less
1 Recipe of couscous
I favor braising for the cuts of meat that usually take a longer
time to cook. Braising keeps the meat moist and results in a
delicious sauce without the use of cream or butter. This dish can
be made the day before, cooled and reheated as needed.
In a small bowl, marinate the dried fruit, with enough port to
cover, overnight.
Remove the meat from the veal shank bones. Dust the meat with
flour. (The simplest way is to pour the flour into a bag and, one
by one, place the meat in the bag, coat with the flour, and shake
off the excess.) Season lightly with salt and pepper .
Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a large ovenproof roasting pan,
heat the olive oil. Brown the shanks on all sides. Do not crowd
the pan, browning in batches if necessary. Add the vegetables,
almonds, dried fruit and the marinating liquid. Pour in the
remaining port and the red wine and bring to a boil. Turn the
flame to medium and reduce the sauce by half. (The length of time
required depends upon the size of the pan.)
Pour in enough beef stock to cover the shanks and bring to a boil.
Cover the pan, transfer to the oven, and cook until the shanks are
tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the shanks and keep warm. Reduce
the sauce just until it thickens. Correct seasoning to taste and
return the shanks to the pan.
Presentation: Mound the couscous in the center of each of 8 heated
plates. Top with one veal shank and spoon the sauce over,
including some almonds and fruit. Serve immediately. Have small
forks on hand to scoop out the marrow from the bones.
