Free The Mediterranean Slow Cooker Cookbook by Diane Phillips Page A

thyme
2 bay leaves
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 lb/1.8 kg beef short ribs (see Slow Cooker Savvy)
3 tbsp beef soup base or demi-glace (see Slow Cooker Savvy)
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
2 to 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
¼ lb/115 g pearl onions, peeled
1 lb/455 g cremini mushrooms, quartered
2 tbsp all-purpose flour (optional)
    In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp of the olive oil, the wine, shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Put the short ribs in an extra-large zipper-top plastic bag, and pour the marinade over the ribs. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, and up to 24 hours.
    Strain the marinade into a small saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add the soup base to the marinade and set aside. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, and brown the short ribs, a few at a time, transferring them to the insert of a 4- to 6-qt/3.5- to 5.5-L slow cooker when they’re done. Sauté the onion for 3 to 4 minutes until it begins to soften. Pour the marinade into the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Transfer the marinade to the slow cooker insert. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours, or on high for 5 hours, until the meat is tender.
    Transfer the meat to a platter, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Pour the sauce into a fat separator, or skim the fat from the surface and set aside.
    In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the butter over medium-high heat, and cook the pearl onions for 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms turn golden. Add the sauce to the pearl onions and mushrooms and bring to a boil. If you think the sauce is thick enough, return it to the slow cooker along with the short ribs. Otherwise, in a small bowl, knead together the remaining 2 tbsp butter and the flour. Whisk the butter mixture into the sauce, 1 tsp at a time, and continue whisking until the sauce returns to a boil and is smooth and thickened to your liking. Return the sauce and the short ribs to the slow cooker and keep on the warm setting until you are ready to serve.
    SLOW COOKER SAVVY
    The type of wine you use here makes all the difference in the world. Wine that has too much tannin, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, will give the stew a wine-y flavor. A Cabernet blend will work, however.
    If you can’t find short ribs, cut up a chuck or shoulder roast into 2-in/5-cm pieces, trimming the fat.
    Use a soup base or a demi-ace rather than stock or broth because the meat will render a Lot of Liquid, and if you add still more, it will become watered down.

Veal Osso Buco
    This world-famous dish is often served at egant tables in Milan on a bed of risotto. A special spoon is provided so the diner can remove the marrow from the shank bone. Veal shanks become meltingly tender as they braise with aromatic vegetables in a tomato-based sauce scented with sage. The finishing touch to osso buco is a piquant garnish of citrus zest, garlic, and parsley-called gremolata- which gives the long-simmered dish a fresh and tangy finish.
SERVES 6
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large sweet yellow onion, such as Vidalia, finely chopped
3 ribs celery, including the leaves, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1½ cups/360 ml reconstituted veal demi-glace, or 1 cup/240 ml chicken broth
One 14½- to 15-oz/415- to 430-g can chopped tomatoes, with theirjuice
Six to eight ¾- to 1-lb/340-to 455-g veal shanks (about 6 lb/2.7 kg total)
½ cup/65 g all-purpose flour
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup/120 ml dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, or dry vermouth
Grated zest of 2 oranges
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup/60 g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
    In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat, and sauté the onion, celery, carrots, 2 garlic cloves, and sage for 3