Shooting Stars of Thought |

Whew! I made it.

Today’s meal hinged on a trip to the farmers’ market, which, finishing up brunch in Alpine at 11:30 this morning, I was pretty sure I was going to miss. But a well-timed return and a coincidental $15 in cash meant that I was able to squeeze in mere minutes before farmers began packing up their trucks at 1:00. My mission: tomatoes, onions, and carrots, for a slow-simmered sauce.

I finally had the chance to visit Homegrown Meats, the new butcher shop in La Jolla that is not only selling locally raised grass fed beef, they are raising the cattle themselves. The ambitious operation is a co-op between a local restaurateur and a local rancher, and based on the first trip, looks like one the whole city can benefit from.

While I expected to find only ground beef available, I was delighted to find an array of steaks, roasts, and ribs for the pickin’. But once I saw the beef shanks, I was hooked. This week, I was going to have the first chance to make all-local osso buco.

Osso buco is a slow cooked dish, often made with veal but also made with beef, pork, elk, and even turkey. It’s comfort food at it’s best–the meat becomes so tender it falls off the bone, and it is served in a rich, thick tomato sauce, the very sauce it simmered in for hours.

The dish is traditionally served with saffron risotto, but to keep it local I decided (last minute, while frantically running from stall to stall) to serve it with stewed beans and roasted tomatoes. I was hoping for white beans, but didn’t see them at the Suncoast Farms booth, so I settled for Fava.  I set up the beans in the slow cooker, the osso buco on the stove, and spent three hours relaxing in the hammock while dinner worked for me. It was a perfect Sunday meal.

Ale-Braised Osso Buco with Heirloom Tomatoes

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 beef shank, 1-2 pounds
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 2 cups golden ale (I used Coronado Brewing Company’s)
• 1cup water
• 3-4 heirloom tomatoes, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a large cast-iron pot. Pat meat dry and brown, 5 minutes per side, until dark and slightly charred. Remove meat and set aside. Add onions to skillet and cook 5 minutes, until translucent. Add carrots and celery and cook 5 minutes more. Add garlic and rosemary and cook 30 seconds. Add beer and water, and stir vigorously, scraping up any brown bits. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Return meat to pot, along with any drippings. Add bay leaves. Bring to a simmer then cover and transfer to 300-degree oven. Cook 2-3 hours, until tender. Remove meat from pot and set aside. Bring liquid to boil and cook 5-10 minutes, until reduced. Transfer meat to serving platter and cover with sauce.

Simple Slow Cooker Fava Beans

• 2 cups dried fava beans, rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 2 sprigs rosemary, one diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 cups water, plus more for soaking
• 1 tbsp olive oil

To quick soak beans: place in saucepan and cover with 2″ of water.  Bring to boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let soak for 1 hour. Drain and rinse.

Place beans, bay leaf, 1 sprig rosemary, and garlic cloves in slow cooker. Cover with water and cook on high, 3-3 1/2 hours. Remove beans from liquid and let cool. Reserve garlic cloves. When ready to serve, chop garlic, and toss garlic, rosemary, and olive oil with beans, and salt and pepper to taste.

Tags: one local summer