Braised Veal Shanks in Onion Sauce

Preparation : Using your Cuisinart fitted with the 2 mm slicing blade (or a mandoline) slice the onions. Soak them for 1/2 hour in a bowl of cold water. Tie each piece of meat around the sides with string. Make a bouquet garni of the bay leaves, garlic and cloves and tie it up in cheesecloth. Melt 4 tablespoons butter with the oil in a deep-sided saut pan over medium heat. When butter is completely melted, drain onions and add to saut pan. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until translucent. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the onions to a baking dish, leaving juices in the pan. Add remaining butter and melt it. NOW, lightly flour veal shanks on both sides but not on the edges. Add veal shanks to the hot butter mixture. Saut until golden brown on each side (about 3 minutes per side). Add wine and let it cook down to a syrup (about 2 minutes). Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange meat in a single layer over the onions in the baking dish. Sprinkle the lemon rind (1 lemon only) over the meat, then pour the warmed stock in and add the remaining sauce from the saut pan. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Put bag of herbs in the baking dish. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Shake dish 3 or 4 times while cooking (don't remove cover!) to keep meat from sticking. Finely chop parsley, sage and garlic together on a board and transfer to a small bowl. Add grated lemon rind and mix. Transfer veal shanks to a warm serving platter. Remove strings and cover to keep warm. Discard bag of herbs and pass onion sauce from the baking dish through a food mill (medium hole) into a saucepan. Put saucepan over medium heat. Taste for salt and pepper and cook about 20 minutes to thicken. Teacher’s Tips: While sauce is cooking, prepare the Risotto Milanese To serve, sprinkle Grmolata over each serving. Serve with the risotto. Wine Tip: These luscious veal shanks deserve a comparable wine. Choose a Barbaresco with a little age, if your budget will allow it.