In praise of the braise

By Leslie Brenner and Donna Deane
Los Angeles Times

Osso buco: browned veal shanks are gently simmered with pancetta, mushrooms and vegetables in a rich stock. Los Angeles Times

Once you understand a few simple principles it's easy to create braises as elegant and flavorful as those in great restaurants.

As a technique, braising couldn't be simpler. Just brown whatever it is you're going to braise, add liquids, cover, and cook slowly until the food is tender. Adding aromatics — onion, carrot, garlic, herbs, spices — allows the flavors to suffuse the meat, vegetables or tofu. The simmering can happen on top of the stove or in the oven. The bonus? The marvelous aromas that fill the house.

The method of superlative braised meat dishes is two-fold.

First, brown the meat really well. Use olive oil or butter or a combination, if you want the old-world richness of butter and the flavor of olive oil. Use a heavy pan, preferably not a nonstick one so you can use liquid to release all the flavorful browned bits (deglazing the pan) and put this in the braising pot.

Second, use flavorful liquids. Red or white wine, homemade stocks. You can add soy sauce or other pungent sauces. And don't be afraid to raid the liquor cabinet: vermouth, armagnac, cognac, calvados, sherry — all these can add elegance and depth of flavor.

Beyond osso buco, braise lamb in wine or pork in cider

Here are a few braising recipes to try.

First, a longtime favorite — osso buco. For the best presentation, tie a piece of string around each veal shank to hold the meat to the bone throughout cooking.

This recipe calls for small onion-like bulbs called cipollini. They're often difficult to find, but small Maui onions make a good substitute. Cremini mushrooms are small portobello mushrooms. You can substitute the standard white mushroom. In place of the veal stock, you could cook three cans of beef stock down to three cups or use bottled demi-glacé.

Total cooking time is three hours and 20 minutes, of which about a half-hour is active preparation time.

Osso Buco

• 2 ounces pancetta or thin-sliced ham, cut into thin strips
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 8 whole cipollini, trimmed and peeled
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 4 (12-ounce to 1-pound) veal shanks
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel (sea salt)
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 cups veal stock
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 bay leaf

Sauté the pancetta in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-low heat in a braising pan (or a large, heavy-bottomed ovenproof pan) until the pancetta is crispy and the fat is rendered, about 15 minutes. Remove the crisp pancetta from the pan and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the same pan and add the cipollini. Brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan.

Add the diced onion, carrots and celery to the pan and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.

Pat the veal shanks dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle both sides of the meat with the fennel seeds, fleur de sel and cracked pepper and rub the spices in. Roll the meat in the flour to coat.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon butter in the same pan or pot. Add the veal and cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.

When the veal is well browned, return the reserved pancetta, cooked vegetables and cipollini to the pot. Pour in the wine. Blend the tomato paste with a little of the stock and pour in along with the remaining stock. Add the thyme sprig and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a simmer.

Remove the pot from the heat, cover and put it on the middle rack of a 325-degree oven. Cook until the veal is fork tender, about 2 hours.

To serve, carefully transfer the meat from the pot to a serving platter and keep warm. Skim off any excess fat from the sauce. Place the pot back on a burner and, over medium heat, bring the sauce and vegetables to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the meat and arrange the vegetables alongside.

Pour any additional sauce into a gravy boat.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving: 946 calories; 103 grams protein; 39 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams fiber; 36 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 369 mg cholesterol; 767 mg sodium.

Lamb is a particular favorite for braising because common cuts other than the chop can be quite tough and because many people don't care for the assertive flavor of some lamb. Braising gentles any "mutton" tendencies.

Lamb Shanks with Merlot

• 1/2 cup dried plums
• 1/4 cup port
• 4 lamb shanks (about 5 pounds)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup diced red onion
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced rosemary
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 3/4 cup merlot
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 to 3 sprigs rosemary

Place the plums in a small bowl and pour the port over them. Set aside.

Remove any tough silvery skin from the lamb shanks by lifting it with the tip of a knife, then peeling and cutting it off. Rub the surface of each shank with the garlic cloves. Season with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a plastic bag. Add the lamb shanks one at a time and shake to coat.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the lamb shanks and cook until brown on all sides, about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer the lamb from the skillet to a roasting pan large enough to hold the shanks in a single layer.

Add the onion, carrot, celery and minced garlic to the drippings in the skillet and sauté about 5 minutes. Stir in the minced rosemary. Blend the tomato paste with 2 tablespoons of the chicken broth and stir in. Add the remaining chicken broth, beef broth and merlot.

Drain the port from the plums (reserving the plums) and add. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture over the lamb shanks. Add the soaked plums, the apricots and the bay leaf.

Cover the roasting pan, place on the middle rack of a 325-degree oven and braise for 1 hour, basting after about 30 minutes. Turn the shanks over in the broth. Braise for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour, basting after 30 minutes, until the lamb is fork tender.

Arrange the lamb shanks on a platter and keep warm. Bring the sauce in the roasting pan to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

To serve, spoon the vegetables and some of the sauce over the lamb. Pour the remaining sauce into a gravy boat. Garnish the platter with a few sprigs of rosemary.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving: 855 calories; 83 grams protein; 45 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 33 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 235 mg cholesterol; 772 mg sodium.

Cider is a particularly nice with pork, lending a slight sweetness and tang to the white meat.

Cider-braised Pork with Fennel

• 5- to 5 1/2-pound boneless pork shoulder butt, tied
• 4 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
• Salt to taste
• Cracked black pepper to taste
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 leeks, tops removed, cut in half and sliced (about 2 cups sliced)
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 2 cups hard cider
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 fennel bulbs, about 1 pound each
• 2 tablespoons fennel fronds, chopped
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted and cracked
• 1 tablespoon fleur de sel

Make small slits evenly over the surface of the pork. Insert a sliver of garlic into each slit. Sprinkle salt and cracked black pepper over the roast and rub in.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large enameled iron pan. Add the pork and brown well over medium high heat, turning to brown all sides, about 15 minutes total. Remove the pork from the pan and keep it warm while cooking the vegetables.

Add another tablespoon oil to the pan and sauté the leeks and carrots until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour the hard cider over the vegetables and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a high simmer and cook until the cider is reduced to 1 cup.

Return the pork to the pan. Pour the chicken broth over the meat, stir to combine and cook over high heat until the liquid comes to a boil. Turn off the heat; add the bay leaf. Cover the pot and transfer it to a 325-degree oven. Cook until the pork is meltingly tender, about 3 hours.

While the pork is braising, trim the tops from the fennel bulbs and trim the stem ends. Chop about 2 tablespoons fennel fronds for garnish and set aside. Cut the fennel lengthwise into half-inch slices. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Add the fennel slices in batches and brown on both sides. Remove the fennel from the skillet; cover and set aside.

Add the browned fennel slices to the pork during the last half-hour of cooking.

Remove the pot from the oven and carefully lift the fennel slices onto a serving platter. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let it rest while reducing the sauce.

Skim off any fat from the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil. Continue to cook until the sauce is reduced to 1 cup. Strain.

To serve, slice the meat and arrange it on a platter with the fennel. Spoon sauce over both. Sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds. Combine the toasted fennel seed and fleur de sel and, if desired, sprinkle a pinch over the serving dish. Pass the seed-salt combination with the braised pork.

Makes 8 servings.

Each serving (before sprinkling with salt and seeds): 682 calories; 57 grams protein; 23 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fiber; 40 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 191 mg cholesterol; 431 mg sodium.

Sauté the meat, then deglaze pan

Browning the meat before braising creates a golden-brown crust that seals in the flavor.

Season and flour the meat, then cook it in oil or butter over medium heat, turning it to brown evenly on all sides. To deglaze the pan, turn the heat to high and pour in a small amount of wine or stock. Stir to loosen all the small bits of caramelized meat that have stuck to the pan. Then add braising liquid and meat. The best pot for this: Cast iron, such as Le Crueset or a well-seasoned cast iron dutch oven or deep frying or roasting pan.

• Braise, from the French for glowing embers, refers to heavy-lidded pots that were suspended over coals to cook slowly.
• The process: Sear over high heat, add flavored liquid, chopped vegetables and herbs, cook slowly.
• Tough, fatty cuts of meat braise beautifully; also smaller cuts, such as stew meat, oxtails.
• Use a covered, heavy pot that isn't overlarge for the amount of food (so flavors will concentrate).
• Trim meats of silvery skin or tough tendons, but leave fat.
• The primary braising liquids are stock, wine, cider or apple juice, various liquors.
• Include more intensely flavor ingredients, such as shoyu or tomato paste, in smaller amounts.
• Use vegetables (onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms); fresh or dried herbs; even dried fruits.
• Some meats, such as veal shanks for osso bucco, may be tied with cotton string to hold their shape.
• Before braising a particularly sinewy cut of meat, such as a lamb shoulder, chef Sam Hayward of Fore Street — a restaurant in Portland, Maine, that specializes in meats braised over a wood fire — marinates it overnight. First rub with rough sea salt (coarse salt melts gradually, is drawn into the cells and breaks down the tough proteins). Then pat on a spice or herb blend, such as minced garlic and lemon zest or a prepared mixture. Cover loosely and hold overnight.
• Braising liquid should have a syrupy texture that comes from using an extremely rich, cooked-down broth. Bottled demi-glace available at R. Field and other specialty food suppliers, is one option.
• Do not boil; simmer so gently the liquid is barely trembling.
• Braising liquid can become a sauce once meat is done: Whisk in a loose paste of flour and softened butter.
• Braising isn't just for meat: It's great for tougher vegetables such as kale, cauliflower, bok choy or beets.
• Braising is ideal for do-ahead cooking: the dish tastes better next day!