Veal shank with Garlic and Rosemary

Garlic and rosemary are a divine combination for cooking veal shank and Chef Philippe Chevrier demonstrates how it is done perfectly. This gourmet recipe for Veal shank with Garlic and Rosemary is served in his gustatory restaurant, Domaine de Châteauvieux, in Geneva, Switzerland. Slow cooked to perfection, the veal is braised for four hours to make it as juicy and as tender as possible. This is quite a heavy dish served with a generous amount of colorful vegetables and best enjoyed with a good French wine like Brouilly.

In this recipe, Chef Chevrier makes use of veal shanks, marrow and sweetbreads. Veal is the meat of young male cattle and has a finer and a more delicate taste than its adult counterpart. It is also more tender with a lighter color than beef. The shank is the leg bone under the knee, and is the shin of the animal. It contains the marrow bone, priced for its luxurious and buttery taste. While the veal is tender, the shank meat is tougher and thus a long and slow cooking is of paramount importance for this part of the meat. Braising is the method used to thoroughly cook the veal in this recipe followed by roasting on open fire with garlic and rosemary. This will make the outer part of the meat crispy while the inner part remains soft, tender and juicy. One bite is a true epicurean delight.

Veal sweetbreads are also used in this recipe, which is the thymus (gullet, neck, or throat), pancreas (stomach, belly, or heart), or other glands (ear or cheek) of the animal. Like the brains, it is light and soft, a bit rubbery with a firmer texture. Chef Chevrier makes offal brochettes with the sweetbreads, sticking them in skewers to make kebabs.