Welcome, everyone, to the very first webisode of Season Two! We're thrilled to be back with new webisodes, new recipes, and most importantly, new Nonne! To get the new season off to a proper start, Nonna Carmen will be teaching us how to make the northern Italian favorite: Ossobuco con Gremolada! Literally translated, ossobuco means "bone hole", so you can bet the delicate bone marrow will be making a cameo on our plate. Naturally, if marrow doesn't get your motor running, you don't have to eat it, but I would advise you to take a chance here and give it a try. I promise you, it will be a culinary adventure that will live long in the memory.
The veal takes center stage (or plate, as it were) in our dinnertime musical, backed by the supporting performances of our mushrooms and onions, and of course our special guest star, the Gremolada. Our gremolada consists of rosemary, parsley and sage, accompanied by a small compliment of lemon zest and garlic. There really isn't a "traditional" gremolata so to speak, it is basically a term used to describe an aromatic combination of finely chopped herbs used in a sauce. As always, we encourage you to mix, match and experiment with your own combinations. If you find one that is particularly outstanding, be sure to let us know!
The balancing of flavors in the gremolata combined with the baby portobello mushrooms makes for an incredibly tasty and unique accompaniment to the veal. What's particularly exceptional about this recipe is the ability of the veal to absorb the medley of flavor offerings as it simmers to a tender, golden perfection. You can leave your knives in the drawer for this meal -- the veal will literally fall off the bone!
I know I promised big and exciting things to kick off the season of Cooking with Nonna, and I promise, your patience will be handsomely rewarded. To mark this momentous occasion, we've teamed up with the household appliance giant, KitchenAid, to bring to you, our loyal viewers, a 10 Week - 10 Appliance! giveaway: Stand-mixers, blenders, food processors -- all from the indomitable KitchenAid and all for you! Head on over to our giveaway mini-site for all the details and join the giveaway. Also remember to come back every week and join again as each week we are giving away a new appliance. And for more opportunities to receive an appliance, invite your friends to join the giveaway as well... for each friends that you invite that joins the giveaway you receive an extra entry. So... join now!
It's going to be quite the exciting winter, I can promise you that!
Tanti Baci,
Rossella
