Baked Veal Shanks with Lemons, Olives and Potatoes

9:00 pm on 13 June 2005

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for oiling the
  • casserole and brushing
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 sticks celery, thinly sliced
  • 6 anchovy fillets, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons rigani, (dried Greek wild oregano flowers)
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • peel of 3 preserved lemons, thinly sliced, 0r the zest of 2 large lemons
  • 1 cup green olives
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 large veal shanks, boned ( just cut down one side of the meat and
  • carefully cut around the meat to extract the bone)
  • 2 ½ cups beef stock
  • 6 large Agria Potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/2 cm thick

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C.

Heat the oil over moderate heat and add the garlic, onions, carrots, celery, anchovies and oregano. Fry gently for about 15 minutes until the onions are golden brown and soft. Add the wine, lemons and olives, mix well, turn up the heat and cook until the wine has evaporated. Season well with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

Lightly oil an ovenproof casserole. Put a layer of half the potato slices in the bottom. Place the shanks on top. Pile the onion mixture on top. Cover with a layer of the remaining potatoes. Pour the stock over everything.

Brush the top potatoes with more oil, cover and place in the oven for 2 ½ hours or until the shanks are very tender. Remove from the oven and serve.