The second in a series of extracts from Semplice Real Italian Food

The Staff Canteen
Semplice Real Italian Food by Dino Joannides shares his fascinating gastronomic encounters with producers, chefs, cooks and fellow epicureans and his unique network of contacts and over 30 years of food related knowledge and experience.  Taking different elements of Italian cooking and exploring their origin and provenance, Dino will explode myths and expound facts surrounding some of the key ingredients in Italian cooking. There are also 100 delicious recipes to show you how to put your well-sourced ingredients together to make the most amazing, achievable and authentic Italian possible. In the second of three extracts from the book we take a closer look at braised shin of veal (Ossobuco alla Milanese).Ossobucco This classic Milanese dish is thought to have originated in the city’s restaurants during the 19th century. It uses a cut or thick slice from the veal shank, which, if not on display in your butcher’s, can usually be ordered on request. Bizarrely, one of the best versions of this dish I have ever eaten was at Ribot, one of my favourite restaurants in Milan, which actually specializes in Tuscan food but has a few Lombardian daily specials. The meat they used was vitellone from Fassone cattle and had a much deeper flavour than usual. If you want to try this dish in its hometown and be certain it is on the menu, head to Antica Trattoria della Pesa, which first opened in 1880. As always, there is much debate about the authentic recipe for ossobuco, such as whether or not it should include tomatoes or gremolata. More unusual is that it is the only example I can think of where a meat course is served with risotto. For that reason, when ordering it in a restaurant, it is advisable not to have a pasta or rice dish as a first course. I always make enough ossobuco for eight people even when cooking for four because the leftovers are delicious. Slipped off the bone, the meat can be mixed into tagliatelle or used as a stuffed pasta filling. The latter is an idea first used by Giorgio Locatelli, I think, to wean ‘ladies who lunch’ on to ossobuco as they found the traditional way of serving it unappealing.

See the recipe for this dish here.

Dino Dino Joannides is a consummate food fanatic and bon Viveur. With an Italian mother and half Greek half Corsican father he spent his first years in Italy before moving to the UK. Over the last 30 odd years he has traveled and eaten all over Italy in people’s homes, simple trattorias and the finest restaurants. Dino believes that good quality ingredients, in small quantities, are what make a perfect meal. Get your copy of Semplice Real Italian Food Book by Dino Joannides here
In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 18th December 2014

The second in a series of extracts from Semplice Real Italian Food