Longhorn Meat Co.,13131 Lincoln Way, Auburn; telephone (530) 823-0275 or fax (530) 823-0276
Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Nugget Market, 771 Pleasant Grove Boulevard , Roseville; telephone (916) 746-7799
Open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily
For some fun and interesting reading about meat in general, please visit: www.meatpaper.com
Editors Sasha Wizansky and Amy Standen first published the quarterly magazine in September 2007 to document and report on the current thinking around meat, including anthropology, art history, current events, and people involved in the food industry, among other things.
"We are not out to convert vegetarians," Wizansky said. "Our magazine contains a lot of content by vegetarians, and we believe that the choice not to eat meat is a big part of the story of meat."
The two women started the magazine to document the ongoing fleischgeist, a word they coined (from the German fleisch meaning meat, and geist, meaning spirit) to describe a phenomenon they'd been observing for the last several years of a new interest and curiosity about meat.
"We are interested in documenting the fleischgeist from as many angles as possible, using an interdisciplinary editorial approach," they said.
Wizansky and Standen see chefs putting older preparations of meat on their menus, including offal and other parts that were shunned in recent decades. Community butcher shops are re-appearing. Artists are using meat in their work, either as subject or material. Designers are creating meat-themed products and selling them online and in stores.
"And a lot of people are learning more about where meat comes from and choosing not to eat it at all - vegetarianism is part of the fleischgeist too," Wizansky and Standen say. "It's another, equally valid reaction to meat. No one is neutral on the subject of meat; it inspires intense reactions, from desire to disgust and, for many, soul searching about what it means to be human, about our relationships with animals, and more."
Meatpaper is about all of those reactions. The current issue is available for purchase at several San Francisco locations including: Fog City News on Market Street, Dog-Eared Books on Valencia, Farley's on Potrero Hill, Avedano's on Cortland, Prather Ranch Meat Company in the Ferry Building and Barnes & Noble. Subscriptions and back issues are available.
I've been dining on osso buco for years, and have sampled it at many different restaurants, always enjoying the robust flavorful sauce and the delicate meat.
But until recently, I'd always steered away from trying it at home because I imagined it to be a complicated dish. Not true - it's actually quite easy to make and the sauce is fabulous over creamy polenta, risotto or even mashed potatoes.
A good side dish to catch the sauce is an absolute must, because it's simply too divine to let linger on the plate. The only time-consuming part of the recipe is the cooking time, which takes three hours, but can be prepared ahead of time and re-warmed.
Longhorn Meats on Lincoln Way in Auburn and Nugget Market in Roseville both carry Provimi veal shanks for between $10 and $12.98 per pound.
- Osso Buco (Italian for hole in the bone)
6 veal shanks, about 2 inches thick
½ cup all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
½ cup olive or vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks of celery, trimmed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 bouquet garni (recipe below)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
3 cups chicken stock
Bouquet garni
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 dry bay leaf
2-3 whole cloves
Cheese cloth and kitchen twine or strong button thread
Cut an 8-inch square of cheesecloth and place herbs and cloves in center of cheesecloth. Tie closed with the string.
Directions
Pat veal shanks dry with a paper towel. Dredge in flour, shake off excess and season with salt and pepper. In a large oven-proof pot, heat oil and brown shanks on both sides two or three at a time.
Remove from pot and set aside. In the same pot, add a little more oil and add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery and cook over medium high heat until translucent and beginning to brown.
Add tomato paste, parsley, lemon and orange zests and mix well, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. Add white wine and cook until slightly reduced, about five minutes. Return the veal shanks to the pot and stir in chicken broth and bouquet garni.
The shanks should be at least three-fourths covered with liquid. Add more broth if you find there is not quite enough liquid. Cover pot and braise in 350-degree oven for about three hours, or until meat is very tender.
Remove shanks to a serving platter and tent with foil. Place pot on stove and simmer until liquid reduces and sauce thickens slightly.
Serve veal shanks with risotto, polenta or mashed potatoes - something to sop up the fabulous sauce! Ladle sauce over both veal and side dish.
Susie can be reached at suziven@hughes.net.