I say, 'OSSO!' You say, 'BUCO!'

Veal is generally known for its tenderness, but the veal shank needs some extra cooking to get it falling-off-the-bone good.

That was the case today in Culinary Foundations III as we continued our ongoing series of three-course meal platings for Chef Dan Fluharty.

Osso Buco was the entrée, along with risotto Milanese and braised leeks. We tossed in a few oblique-cut carrots for color and flavor. Osso Buco is braised, meaning low, slow heat, and the result, as seen in my pot of Osso Buco on the right, is wonderful umami, the fifth and most complex of the food flavors.

Before the main course, we prepped, plated and presented Salade Nicoise, including green beans, hard-boiled eggs, bacon, anchovies, red potatoes and other goodies, with a mustard-lemon zest vinaigrette drizzle.

The soup course was borscht, a bowl full of scarlet beauty, taking on the rich earthy color and flavor of beets, which are its main ingredient.

For a cold winter evening, this was the perfect meal.