CK here for a little guest post.

At one time I was living with my grandparents, and they instituted an “Everyone cooks a dinner” rule, meaning that even I, the 12 year old kid in the house, had to prepare a meal for the family by myself. Apparently being a glutton for punishment, I told them I wanted to make an Osso Buco dish. For some strange reason they accepted. The details are now a little hazy, but I remember being able to pull off said meal with great success.

Fast forward many a year and Erin demands an evening off from cooking (attempting to disguise this as a “please make me something nice because you love me” meal). You see, CK started the whole relationship on the wrong foot by cooking for her on one of the first dates they had. Since this was one of the things that stole Erin’s heart, she has a sweet spot for any concoction that Chef CK can come up with. As she’s heard (repeatedly) that one of my greatest triumphs was the aforementioned Osso Buco recipe, this was the logical choice for my annual cooking creation.

Once I decided to make Osso Buco, I had to find the right recipe. Going to the ever trusty Food Network site, I came across Tyler Florence’s Amarone Osso Buco. The recipe looked fantastic. I especially liked the idea of Cranberry Gremolata. We decided this was the one, and proceeded to assemble ingredients.

A few surprises were immediately presented. First, neither Erin nor I were aware that veal shanks were so difficult to obtain. We went to three markets before we realized we had to go to an honest-to-goodness specialty shop. We ended up going to Savenor’s Market, which had amazing cuts of meat (though the veal shanks were especially pricey, like they would be anywhere), not to mention a great selection of other Italian specialty foods, and was once considered Julia Child’s favorite market and preferred source of meats for her cooking shows.

The second surprise we ended up coming upon was the Amarone wine. Erin was tasked with getting this for the recipe, and headed over to our local wine shop. She quickly discovered that the wine indicated in the recipe was a $50 bottle of wine. This, coupled with the $50 worth of veal we had already gotten was putting this recipe in the running for the most expensive recipe ever featured on Erin Cooks. Seeing as we wouldn’t even get the opportunity to drink this wine straight up (the entire bottle goes into the recipe), Erin decided to save a little money here and opt for a less expensive wine from the same region.

The cooking of this recipe is fairly straightforward. My recommendations would be to pre-chop all your vegetables and have them ready to dump in when the time is right. This way you can focus your attention on properly searing the shanks, instead of trying to cut things up while cooking the meat. The thing that took me aback the most was the entire head of garlic going in. When it does, it really is just slicing it in half from top to bottom, and dumping both ends in. It’s more for flavoring than eating, so don’t worry about it too much.

And finally don’t forget about the Gremolata! I was so invested in the cooking of the veal and getting and assembling all the ingredients that I forgot to make the Gremolata until we were ready to serve. It really does add a little extra “oompf” to the dish, and finishes everything off nicely.

All in all, this is a great meal to have, and if there’s only two of you, we found this to be 4 complete meals. This recipe makes two servings of Osso Buco each, as well as being able to make two days worth of soup out of the leftover sauce and vegetables, thanks to the addition of extra broth, vegetables, and some pasta or potatoes.

Amarone Osso Buco (based on the recipe published by Tyler Florence)

Osso Buco:
1 cup all-purpose flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 pieces veal shank for osso bucco
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 lemon, zest peeled off in wide strips with a vegetable peeler
1 head garlic, cut horizontally through the middle
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 bottle Amarone wine (we used a similar, more reasonably priced wine from the same region instead)
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can low-sodium beef broth
1 (28-ounce) can whole San Marzano tomatoes, hand-crushed
Cranberry Gremolata:
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries
2 garlic cloves
1 orange, zest finely grated
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Put the flour in a large shallow platter and season it with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Get in the habit of always tasting your flour; once it coats the veal it is harder to adjust the seasoning. Dredge the veal shanks in the seasoned flour and then tap off the excess (extra flour will burn and make the dish off-tasting). Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and hit it with a 3-count drizzle of oil. Add the butter and swirl it around the pan to melt. Sear the veal shanks, turning carefully with tongs, until all sides are a rich brown caramel color. Drizzle with a little more oil, if needed. (Do this in batches if the shanks are big and look crowded in the pot.) Remove the browned veal shanks to a side plate. There will be a lot of flavor left over in the bottom of the pot. You’re going to use that to create your sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using the same pot, saute the onion, celery, carrots, lemon zest, garlic, bay leaves, and parsley over medium heat. Cook the vegetables down until they start to get some color and develop a deep, rich aroma. Season with salt and pepper; add a little oil if needed. Nestle the veal shanks back in the pot. Pour in the wine and let it simmer down for 20 minutes, until the wine has reduced by half. Reducing is key for intense flavor. Add the beef broth and tomatoes and stir everything together. Cover the pot and put it in the oven. Braise for 1 and a 1/2 hours. Then remove the cover and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. The sauce should be thick and the veal tender and nearly falling off the bone.
Remove bay leaves.

For the gremolata:
Finely chop the pine nuts, dried cranberries and combine. Combine this with the garlic together in a mini chopper or with a mortar and pestle. Fold that into the orange zest and parsley. Scatter the gremolata over the Osso Bucco before serving.

Wednesday night I met Chris after work for some Thai food and afterwards we stopped by Best Cellars to do a little impromptu wine shopping. Now, I’ve always been a big fan of Best Cellars. Previously I’d perceived the store as having a very Gary Vaynerchuk vibe and always thought of it as an approachable and unpretentious place to find and try new wines. Except this time. I innocently inquired of the salesperson if they happened to have any Beaujolais Nouveau leftover from November and was greeted with a seriously disdainful tone and informed that it was out of season. Um…Ok. Excuse me for living. You’d think I’d asked for a glass of Merlot from Paul Giamatti’s character “Miles” in Sideways. After being put in my place I sulked off to the corner, picked out my wines and left.

Well tonight I opened one of the bottles I’d purchased (yes, mostly because it had a pretty label) and it was so delicious that I think I can finally stop being annoyed at my bitchy clerk. Be warned wine snobs — it has a screw top, but it can’t hurt you to try it at least once. So make sure to add Kiss Chasey to your wine journals. Dear Best Cellars, I forgive you — this time.

PS: If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch you can now add ErinCooks.com to your home screen and a pretty pretty icon will appear. Yay!

Disappointingly I’ve only managed to purchase two gifts for family members so far this holiday season and they were gift cards. Each day I spend quite a bit of time frantically searching online for ideas, (mainly via lots of link sharing with Anna on Google Reader) and I’ve found quite a few gifts that would be great if only my family members were…well…like me. So without further adieu no “Erin Cooks” Christmas could possibly be complete without the following ridiculous things that no one needs but we buy them anyway.

One of my favorite kitchen helper activities when I was a kid was grating cheese. If you know a kid who’s weird like that too then I’d suggest buying them this fab shirt from Threadless. I know I’m not the only one out there who prided themselves on their grating prowess so spill your guts!

Chris picked up a bottle of 2005 Keesha Pinot Grigio at Best Cellars and now I’m completely hooked. It has a very unique citrus taste that I didn’t think I liked at first but it totally grew on me. Everyone loves wine, especially your hostess with the mostess so stock up for all of those unexpected last minute gift giving moments.

To rev up the stockings of your adventurous gift recipients, mountain climbers, or even just people who use the stairs and not the elevator I’d definitely suggest picking up some of these special edition seasonal Cliff Bars. I bought Chris a few for his birthday last month. They come in Spiced Pumpkin Pie and Iced Gingerbread flavors.

Your lip gloss addicted little sister could probably use a pot or two of these tasty Ben & Jerry’s flavored lip glosses. Now If they made Cinnamon Buns lip gloss I might be tempted.

Fred Flare has a ridiculously over priced skillet for sale that has a Panda face painted on the side. It’s super cute, but in the interest of full disclosure you’d be much better off putting that $75 towards a nice piece of All-Clad.

And finally, if you have some crafty, Martha Stewart loving cousins to shop for these adorable embroidery patterns feature a Peppermint Fairy, penguins, deer and even a gingerbread house. But since I hate crafts don’t buy me these. Believe me, I’d much rather have the wine.

My girlfriend and idol, Nigella Lawson, is back on the Food Network with all new episodes. Nigella Express begins airing this Sunday, October 7 at 10:30 AM. I can’t wait to see what she’s cooking up this time. Apparently everyone’s favorite Domestic Goddess plans to wow us with quick and easy recipes that require very little effort. Since I’m working full time again while going to grad school I’m all over that sentiment. I just hope she still raids the fridge at the end of every episode in her nightgown. Who doesn’t love a little kitsch in their kitchen?!

Poor Gary Vaynerchuk, the New York Jets are breaking his heart, but he’s still there for his wine fans. Check out this great podcast where Gary gives the run down on some wines that pair well with Pizza.

Bread making is my achilles heel. It intimidates me horribly and nine times out of ten I’d rather just serve my guests loaves from the bakery, but October 17 is World Bread Day so if there’s one day this year that you and I should give in and play with flour and knead our little hearts out it should probably be then. In addition, this site is collecting entries to make a round-up of your best efforts.

Obviously pink is one of my favorite colors. Although, I did get a little offended when a co-worker of Chris’s declared that my food blog looks like the “OMG Ponies” April Fools joke that Slashdot played last year. Needless to say I may be rethinking my stance on pink very soon, but at the very least it’s appropriate for October since this is Breast Cancer Awareness month. In honor of this Couture Cupcakes is hosting a pink dish competition complete with a tasty themed prize. All entries are due by October 15 so get your favorite pink recipes ready.

I realized this week that I’ve been making apple picking trips to the Nashoba Valley Winery for the last 3 years. My first trip took place in late fall of 2005.  On a whim, Chris and I decided that we wanted to pick apples  and simply followed red “apple” signs until we ended up in Bolton. Of course I was over the moon when I realized that the particular orchard we’d happened upon also doubled as a winery. Unfortunately since we’d gone so late in the season we essentially picked whatever leftover apples were still on the trees and not rolling around at our feet, but it was still a great experience in a beautiful setting with gorgeous foliage as far as the eye could see. We used the apples we picked to make a pie. Now neither one of us had ever made a pie before. We had to buy everything to make this happen — even the pie plate. It turned out a gooey mess, but we ate it happily anyway.

The following Fall we made a point to pick apples before Halloween and honestly I count the brief time that we spent there that morning as one of my top 5 absolute favorite memories. We arrived early and the air was crisp and cold; a perfect New England day. Once in the orchard we proceeded to take a million silly staged photos of trees and apples and one another. I also made a pie from the fruit we picked that day — fake Pillsbury crust and all.

Fast forward to this year when Chris and I were joined on our traditional excursion by our friend Anna. It was a bit of a mob scene with dozens and dozens of families milling about and even a wedding taking place on the grounds, but all in all it was a controlled chaos. We ended up picking a gigantic bag of apples and guess what?! I made another pie. But you’ll have to wait until Monday to hear all about it…

So if you’re in the neighborhood or looking for a chance to get out of Boston for the day, I’d definitely recommend taking the short trip to Bolton and the Nashoba Valley Winery. The gift shop is fully stocked with a huge selection of wines, hand crafted beers, and distilled spirits in addition to a large number of unique gifts and tasting opportunities. It’s a little more difficult now since I live in the city, but in the past I’ve frequently purchased their wines and given them away at various holidays and birthdays. Everyone loves locally made wine! In addition to the great shopping opportunities the winery also offers tours of their wine making facilities and have an onsite restaurant called J’s that I’ve yet to try, but the menu always sounds mouth watering so If you’ve had the pleasure of dining there please let me know how your experience was.

I was happily flipping through my October Rachael Ray magazine when I came across a product that definitely made my eyebrows raise. Rachael was promoting BLT Candles. Yes, you read that correctly: bacon, lettuce, and tomato scented wax. For the “bargain price” of $33.95 your house can smell like a cheap diner. I could see purchasing this item as a gag gift or maybe for a crummy office Secret Santa, but I’d never buy it on purpose. What’s next? Will steak and eggs with a side of buttered toast be the November fragrance of the month at Yankee Candles?

We continue our foray into the the strange and bizarre world of foodie land with the news that Martha Stewart (or her gigantic team of advisors) has decided to break into the wine business. The wine will be known as Martha Stewart Vintage, and will retail for $15 a bottle. Now Martha & her minions will have official Stepford Wives chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot to down with their afternoon Xanax. I hope Gary Vaynerchuk reviews it. Now that would be an extremely entertaining podcast. The sad thing is that I’ll still totally buy it. Just like I bought Sophia Coppola Champagne in a can. No one can resist the lure of Martha, but unfortunately some of you will have to go without since she’s only releasing the wines initially in the following cities: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, North Carolina, Denver, Phoenix and Portland, Oregon.

If you live in Boston or one of it’s surrounding cities, or even if you just visit on occasion for a Red Sox game than you’ve probably ridden on the “loveliness” that is the “T.” The “T” – as the subway is referred to in our abbreviated East Coast way has now been immortalized locally by Cold Stone Creamery. The (T)errific Charlie sundae (Charlie is the mascot for the MBTA) is now being served in Cold Stone locations all over the city. It consists of Cake Batter ice cream mixed with Snickers, M&Ms and Kit Kat bars. I figure the color of all that sugary junk swirled into a cup should just about equal the shade of grease that gets on the hem of any dry clean only pants I wear riding to work.