Melt in your mouth beef shin slow cooked in a tangy tomato sauce laden with chickpeas and sweet carrots.  As if that wasn’t amazing enough, why not top it with the unique saltiness of preserved lemons combined with pistachios and coriander?  It took me straight to Morocco!  Or is it Moroccaly?  Or Italocco?  Whatever it was……it was….. orgasmic!!

Prep time:  30 Mins      Cooking time:  21/2 Hours          $Low Budget

Serves 4

Oil for frying

4 x beef osso bucco

1 large brown onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, finely diced

Grated rind of 1 lemon

2 tsp of ground coriander

2 tsp of ground cumin

1/2 tsp of turmeric

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp of dried chilli flakes

2 bay leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup of chicken stock (preferably salt reduced)

1 x 400gm tin of tomatoes

1 tbs of tomato paste

1 tsp of sugar

1 x 270gm tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 medium carrots, peeled, halved and sliced diagonally

Sea salt and pepper

For the Gremolata:

40gm of pistachios, roasted

1 cup of coriander leaves

2 wedges of preserved lemon, flesh removed and discarded

Cous cous to serve

Pre heat the oven to 170°C

Heat a large oven proof frypan and add a little oil.  Season the beef shin with salt and pepper and fry on both sides until nice and caramelised.  Remove and set aside.

In the same pan, add a little more oil if need be and lightly fry the onion until soft.  Add the garlic, chilli flakes and lemon rind and fry for a minute or so or until fragrant.  Pop in the dried spices and stir well to combine, give them 30 seconds and then add the bay leaves,  lemon juice, stock, tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar and stir well to combine.  Allow to come to a simmer and place the beef back in the pan, making sure you scoop the sauce all over it and it is well covered.  Cover with a sheet of baking paper, tucking it in around the sides and cover with foil or a tight fitting lid.  Put the pan in the oven and cook for 1 and half hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove the pan from the oven and add the carrots and chickpeas.  Stir well then cook, covered for a further hour or until the meat is meltingly tender.

To make the gremolata place the roasted pistachios in a mortar and pestle or a small plastic bag and bash until they are nice little pieces like granulated peanuts.  Chop the coriander nice and fine and also the preserved lemon.  Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

Serve the Osso Bucco on a bed of cous cous and spoon generous amounts of the sauce over the top.  Sprinkle with the gremolata for a final fantastic flourish!