Osso buco with a twist
Assaggio chef and owner Davide Carapella puts his own twist on the classic osso buco in this family recipe which was taught to him by his nonna and will be showcased at the Unley Gourmet Gala.
Carapella’s Cavatelli Con Ossobuco Ragu features freshly made cavatelli pasta shells and a rich, meat-based sauce.
The dish will feature as a special Gala Plate at the Unley Gourmet Gala – to be held on King William Road, Hyde Park, on Monday, January 16, from 4pm to 10pm.
The gala, a free annual street party marking the start of the Tour Down Under, will feature 30 gourmet food stalls offering a variety of cuisines, with local restaurants extending their dining areas out onto the street.
Davide Carapella’s Cavatelli Con Ossobuco Ragu
Serves 10
Ingredients
For the cavatelli:
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1kg plain flour
2 whole eggs
Pinch of salt
Cup of water
1tbspn extra virgin olive oil
For the ossobuco ragu:
3kg beef shin, cut into steaks
4 brown onions, diced
400g flat pancetta, cut into lardons
3L beef stock
2L chicken stock
1L Napolitana sauce (or 150g tomato paste)
500ml white wine
1 bunch of oregano
Plain flour to coat the ossobuco
For the soffritto (should make 400g):
1 stick of celery
1 carrot
1 onion
4 cloves of garlic
3 bird’s eye chillies
Half a bunch of parsley (including stalks)
1 red capsicum
200ml olive oil
Sprinkle of salt and pepper
Place in blender and blitz to a fine puree.
For the garnish:
Truffled parmesan, grated
Oregano leaves
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Method
- For the cavatelli, sift flour onto a wooden pasta board or bench. Add salt and make a well for the whisked eggs, olive oil and a dash of water.
- Fold in the flour, working the dough and gradually adding water until a firm dough is formed. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and rest it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Dust the dough lightly in flour and work it a bit more before cutting it into strips and rolling it into long, round sausages about two to three centimetres thick.
- Dust in flour again and feed through a cavatelli machine (hand wound or motorised). If making them by hand, roll the dough out to about 1/8 of an inch thick and cut it into ¾-inch strips, then each strip into ½ to ¼- inch-thick pieces. Using your index finger, gently apply pressure on each piece of dough and drag it towards you until a slight curl forms.
- Place the cavatelli in boiling salted water and cook until al dente.
- For the ossobuco ragu, season the beef shin steaks well, score the sinews surrounding them and coat in flour.
- In a large pot on medium heat, pour in a decent amount of olive oil and seal the steaks to get them nicely browned. Place in high-rimmed trays lined with baking paper.
- Meanwhile, have a deep pot on medium heat with a generous coating of olive oil and fry the onions and pancetta lardons until the onions are translucent.
- Add the soffritto and fry for a further five minutes, then deglaze with white wine and reduce slightly.
- Add the beef, Napolitano sauce and chicken stock. Bring to the boil and add roughly chopped oregano. Stir through and pour over ossobuco steaks until just covered.
- Cover with baking paper and then wrap with foil. Place in a preheated oven set at 160C for three hours or until ossobuco is tender.
- Allow to cool to room temperature and filter through sauce, remove the bone and sinew and break apart the meat into smaller pieces.
- Reheat the sauce, toss through the cavatelli and season to taste.
- Serve in a bowl with truffled parmesan and sprinkle oregano leaves over it to garnish.
