Braised Beef Shanks with Saffron Risotto

Peel onions and garlic clove. Cut onion into small cubes, finely chop garlic. Rinse meat, pat dry, make several cuts in tendons. Season meat with salt and pepper, sprinkle with flour. Heat oil in a large saucepan and brown meat all around on high heat. Set aside. Saute onions and garlic in the same pan, stir in tomato paste, sauté briefly. Deglaze pan with about 100 ml (approximately 0,5 cup) of wine and bring to a boil, reduce. Deglaze pan with 100 ml (approximately 0,5 cup) of wine two more times. Return meat to a pan. Add remaining wine with the same amount of broth and simmer beef, covered, on medium heat for about 90 minutes. Add broth as needed.

Meantime, rinse carrots, celery and leeks. Peel and cut into small cubes. Rinse sage and thyme, shake dry, tie a bouquet. Add vegetables as well as sage, thyme, and bay leaf to beef about 30-40 minutes before the end of cooking.

For gremolata, pluck parsley leaves and chop finely. Rinse celery, peel garlic and chop everything finely. Combine everything with lemon zest and mix well.

Season beef and cooking sauce with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.  Remove bouquet garni and bay leaf.

Prepare risotto. Peel onion and garlic and finely chop. Soak saffron in 2 tablespoons of warm water. Heat olive oil and 1 teaspoon of butter in a saucepan, sauté onions and garlic until soft, add risotto rice and sauté, stirring, until it looks translucent. Add half of wine and cook, stirring, until all wine is absorbed. Repeat with remaining wine.

Add hot broth and saffron with its liquid until rice is just covered and cook, stirring frequently, until almost all liquid is absorbed. Continue to add broth in this manner and cook until rice is al dente, about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

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