by Laura Frankel

For fusion cooking without the fuss, try this North African take on an Italian staple. I was making osso buco one day, but instead of using the typical ingredients, I found myself heading in the direction of a rich and exotically flavored Moroccan tagine. It was a fun way to mix two cuisines that I love and the result was mouth watering. Ask your butcher to cut the shanks neatly, leaving the whole piece intact. This will make a nice looking dish. I like to pile this stew on a big platter and let everyone serve themselves. Try the bulgur pilaf as a side. Or if you own a tagine, serve this dish along with some couscous.

Quick Tip: Make this dish ahead of time, as it seems to get better overnight. The cooked tagine can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days.

Tools Needed: a spice grinder , a food processor or blender.

Ingredients:
One 2-inch cinnamon stick
1 whole clove
1 tablespoon coriander seed
2 tablespoons fennel seed
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 meaty veal shanks (about 6 pounds total), have your butcher tie them for you
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only (save the dark green tops for stock)
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut on the bias into 1-inch pieces
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup pitted kalamata olives
One 14- to 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
2 cups Dark Chicken Stock

For the Gremolata

Grated zest of 1 lemon, cut into strips
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced ripe mango
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees
2. Grind the cinnamon, clove, coriander, fennel, cumin and chili flakes in a spice grinder, and mix with the flour.
3. Season the veal shanks with salt and pepper.
4. Heat a large Dutch oven or a large, deep covered oven-proof saute pan over medium heat. Lightly coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil.
5. Dredge the flat sides of the veal shanks in the flour mixture and sear the meat on all sides until golden brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove the veal and set aside.
6. Brown the leeks, carrots, fenne and garlic in batches (add more oil if necessary) until all the vegetables are browned (be careful not to overbrown the garlic).
7. Add a spoonful of oil to the pan and add the tomato paste, stirring and scarping the pan until the tomato paste is fragrant and visibly darkened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the olives, chopped tomatoes, wine and stock, and season with salt and pepper. Return the veal and vegetables to the pan.
8. Cover the pan and transfer it to the oven. Briase the veal until the meat is very soft (about 2 hours).
9. Make the Gremolata. Place the grated lemon zest, cilantro, parsley, garlic and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Process until th emixture resembles a coarse paste. Transfer to a small bowl, toss with the dicd mango and season with salt and pepper.
10. To serve, spoon one shank on each plate and top with a spoonful of vegetables and sauce. Sprinkle with Gremolata and serve with bulgur.

Order the ingredients to this recipe. Click here.