Free The Mediterranean Slow Cooker Cookbook by Diane Phillips Page B

minutes, or until the onion begins to soften. Transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker. Stir in the demi-glace and tomatoes. Turn the slow cooker to high and cover while you sauté the veal.
    Tie the veal shanks with butcher’s twine or silicone loops at 1-in/2.5-cm intervals to keep the meat close to the bones. In a shallow dish, mix together the flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the veal in the flour mixture. In the same skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, and brown the meat on all sides in batches, turn- ing frequently. When the meat is browned, add it to the sauce in the slow cooker. Pour the white wine into the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Transfer to the slow cooker and stir the sauce. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the veal is tender.
    While the veal is cooking, in a small bowl, combine the remaining 3 garlic cloves, orange and lemon zest, and parsley. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until the veal is ready to serve.
    Skim any excess fat from the sauce. To serve the osso buco, remove the twine, and serve one shank per person with some of the sauce spooned over the top. Sprinkle with the gremolata. If you are serving the osso buco from the slow cooker as a buffet dish, stir the gremolata into the sauce before serving.
    VARIATION
    Quick Osso Buco
    Substitute 3 lb/1.4 kg of veal shoulder, cut into 1-in/2.5-cm pieces, for the veal shanks. The sauce for this dish will not thicken naturally, so to help it along, in a small bowl, knead together 2 tbsp softened butter and 2 tbsp all-purpose flour. Whisk the butter mixture, 1 tsp at a time, into the sauce and continue whisking until the sauce returns to a boil and is smooth and thickened to your liking. Veal chunks will cook for 3 hours on high; 5 to 6 hours on low.

Braised Veal with Forty Cloves of Garlic
    When James Beard’s cookbook Beard on Food was published in 1974, readers were stunned by one of the recipes-a French Provençal chicken dish made with forty cloves of garlic. Beard knew the garlic would mellow over the long cooking time. But since chicken can dry out in a slow cooker, this version is made with veal, ensuring tender and succulent pieces of meat. With its tarragon-flavored tomato sauce, this dish is delicious served over rice, Boursin mashed potatoes, or buttered noodles.
SERVES 6 TO 8
3 lb/1.4 kg veal, either shoulder or shank, cut into 1-in/2.5-cm pieces
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp dried tarragon
1 cup/240 ml full-bodied red wine, such as Burgundy, Merlot, or Zinfandel
One 14½- to 15-oz/415- to 430-g can tomato purée
1 cup/240 ml chicken broth
½ cup/120 ml beef broth
1 bay leaf
40 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
½ cup/30 g finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
    Sprinkle the veal with 1½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the veal, a few pieces at a time, until browned on all sides. Transfer the veal to the insert of a 5- to 7-qt/4.5- to 6.5-L slow cooker. Add the tarragon and wine to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomato purée, and trans- fer the mixture to the slow cooker. Stir in the chicken broth and beef broth, and add the bay leaf and garlic, stirring to distribute the ingredients. Cover and cook the veal on low for 6 to 7 hours, until it is tender.
    Using a slotted spoon, transfer the veal to a serving bowl. Discard the bay leaf, and transfer the sauce to a large saucepan. Using a potato masher or immersion blender, mash or purée the garlic cloves. Bring the sauce to a boil. In a small bowl, knead together the butter and 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