Chop the basil (note the broccoli florettes in the mug waiting for the stems to steam
before they are added to the saucepan).
I chop the sprouts into fours - bite-size.
Now to the meat. Osso bucco today - it could be kangaroo, lamb or fish;
bacon about once a month. All my fresh meat is organic. Osso bucco is one
of my favourites, with its
convenient size, bone marrow bonus and low price. Here I snip the skin
all round so the cooking flesh doesn't
pop out in the pan.
Grill the osso bucco in a pan with a chunk of suet. I guess I'd describe
my grilled meat as around 'rare' to 'medium'; I use
low heat (none of that "lightly sear both sides" myth) in a cast iron pan and
the meat is never burnt.
Again, I dice the food into bite-sized pieces. You'll see why soon.
Note the bone marrow beside the bone - that
goes in, too. I
pour the left-over suet from the hot pan onto the salad.
Now, the food is transformed into a meal! Here I am, in my usual
dinner-eating position - reading with a book on my knees
and in front of the fire here, as it's winter. I use a 'Splayd', an
Australian invention that is half fork, half spoon and I can enjoy
the food (without further cutting or trimming) while concentrating on the book or conversation. The book here is
the first edition
of the Oxford Companion to Food. Eat slowly, while relaxing.
