Veal Shank Croquettes

To prepare the veal shank croquettes, first rehydrate the dried mushrooms in warm water for about 15 minutes 1. Meanwhile, clean and roughly chop the celery 1, carrot, and onion. Now flour the veal shanks on both sides 3.

Place the veal shanks in a pot with a drizzle of hot oil (we used a casserole suitable for oven cooking; alternatively, you can transfer them to a baking dish later) 4 and brown them over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side 5. When they are well browned, add the vegetables 6.

Continue cooking over medium heat for another 5 minutes 7, then deglaze with the white wine 8 and let it evaporate completely. At this point, pour in the hot broth 9.

Also add the drained dried mushrooms 10, sage, and a few rosemary needles 11. Cover with the lid 12 and bake in a preheated static oven at 340°F for about 80 minutes (if you used a pot not suitable for oven cooking, you can transfer everything to a baking dish before adding the broth, mushrooms, and herbs).

In the meantime, you can start on the polenta: pour the water, oil, and salt into a pot 13. Bring to a boil, then add the cornmeal in a rain 14 and mix well with a whisk 15.

Cook over low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened 16. Once ready, transfer the polenta to a mold 17 and level the surface 18. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool completely at room temperature.

After the meat's cooking time has passed, remove the veal shanks from the pot and set them aside 19. Pass the cooking juices with the vegetables through a food mill 20 to obtain a sauce 21.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper 22 and return it to the heat to warm it up. You can blend it further with an immersion blender to achieve a smoother, more homogeneous consistency 23. Coat the veal shanks with the hot sauce 34.

Fragrance with finely chopped parsley and rosemary 25 and grate the lemon zest 26, then let cool completely. Once cooled, extract the marrow 27.

Finely shred the meat with your hands 28 and mix it with the marrow to obtain a homogeneous mixture. Take a portion of the mixture and compact it between the palms of your hands to form a meatball 29. You need to make 4 meatballs of the same size 30.

Set aside the meatballs and retrieve the now cooled polenta. Cut the polenta into cubes 31, then place them in a food processor 32 and blend to obtain a soft mixture 33.

In a small pot, heat the seed oil to 340°F. Use 2 spoons 34 to shape quenelles 35, then immerse them in the hot oil 36 and fry until golden; it will take about 4-5 minutes.

Drain the fried quenelles 37 and transfer them to paper towels 38, then salt to taste 39.

For the parsley oil, let the chopped parsley infuse in the extra virgin olive oil for at least 5 minutes 40. In the meantime, focus on breading and frying the meatballs: heat the seed oil to a temperature of 340°F. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl 41 and dip the meatballs in the beaten egg 41.

Also coat the meatballs with the breadcrumbs 43. Immerse 1-2 meatballs at a time in hot oil 44 and fry for about 3-4 minutes. When they are beautifully golden, drain 45 on paper towels.

You are ready to plate: on each plate, place one veal shank croquette and 3 polenta quenelles 46. Drizzle with the remaining veal shank sauce 47 and finish with a few drops of parsley oil. Serve your veal shank croquettes immediately 48!