Italian veal casserole

ingredients

• Italian veal casserole

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 thick pieces veal osso buco (1.2kg)
  • 3/4 cup (90g) pitted green olives, chopped coarsely
  • 1 medium lemon (140g), quartered
  • 2 cup (520g) bottled tomato pasta sauce
  • 2 cup (500ml) water
  • 4 drained anchovy fillets, chopped coarsely
  • 1/2 cup (120g) firm ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup (40g) finely grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

method

• Italian veal casserole

  • 1

    Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).

  • 2

    Heat oil in a large flameproof baking dish cook veal until browned.

  • 3

    Add olives, lemon, sauce, and the water to dish season. Roast, covered, for 2 hours.

  • 4

    Increase oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).

  • 5

    Stir anchovy into veal mixture; top with ricotta, sprinkle with parmesan. Roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until cheese is browned. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

notes

Place a piece of baking paper, cut to fit inside the dish, onto the surface of the food before it goes into the oven. This will stop the food from browning too much. Cover the dish itself with a lid or foil. Use a casserole dish big enough to fit one layer of the tightly-packed osso buco, as they will shrink during cooking. Buy pieces of uniform thickness and size and stand them up in the dish to ensure that each person receives a portion of the rich bone marrow that is found in the veal shin. Not suitable to freeze.