Last time, we spent quite a bit of time talking about roselle, the tropical hibiscus that is popularly used in teas, beverages, and desserts around the world. We also mentioned that while the bright red calyxes of the roselle blossoms are what are most commonly used in the kitchen, the leaves of the roselle plant also have culinary uses. The leaves have a similar tart flavor to the calyxes, and are a great option for savory dishes that could benefit from a bit of a sour kick. Even among people who grow roselle here in the US, roselle leaves are relatively unknown in most western kitchens. They do feature in some Southeast Asian cuisine, and are well known in India under the name gongura.
Roselle leaves are somewhat tough when fresh, similar in texture to mature kale or collard greens, so are best served cooked. Soups, stews, stir-frys, and braised dishes are all excellent choices for cooking with roselle leaves. Their tartness also makes them a good complement to meats, particularly game meats, which lead me to want to incorporate them into a dish using some New Zealand venison shanks that I had stashed in the freezer. Since my shanks were prepared in an “osso buco” cut, meaning they were sliced into sections across the bone, I decided to create a braised dish riffing off of classic Italian veal osso buco recipes. (If you don’t have venison shanks, similar meats like elk, lamb, or veal should work).
Since I was already adding greens to my venison osso buco, which do not feature in the the traditional dish, I decided to take things one step further and add some fresh quinces to the pot. Quince, which I have written about before in our Quince Galette recipe, is a fruit closely related to apples and pears. I thought their equally tart flavor would blend well with the roselle, and their dense flesh holds up well to braising and other slow-cooking methods. They also work well cooked in wines or spirits, so I selected some dry Marsala for the wine component of my braising liquid.
The result was a hearty, elegant dish that is perfect for dinner shared with family or good friends on a cold night. Just be sure to have some nice crusty bread on hand to soak up the juices!
Venison Osso Buco with Quince and Roselle Leaves
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp light oil (sunflower, avocado, etc) divided
- 4 venison shanks cut osso buco-style
- Chinese Five Spice seasoning as needed
- 2 quinces peeled, cored, and cubed
- 2 carrots chopped
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup dry Marsala wine
- 3 green cardamom pods whole
- 2 cups broth (chicken, beef, etc)
- 4 cups roselle (hibiscus) leaves (also called gongura)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large braising pan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat venison in five spice seasoning. Brown on all sides, then remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil. Saute onion and garlic until softened and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add carrots and quince, saute for an additional 2-3 minutes longer.
- Return venison to pan. Lightly crush the cardamom pods to crack open the outer case (don't break them apart). Add them to the pan, then stir in the wine and broth. Bring to a simmer.
- Cover the pan and transfer to the oven to roast at 325°F for 1.5 – 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender. Turn the meat every 30 minutes, and add additional broth if things are looking too dry )the liquid should reduce some during cooking, but it should remain somewhat soupy).
- Remove venison from the pan and set aside. Trim and discard stems from roselle leaves, then cut them into thin strips. Stir in pan. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes, or until greens are tender.
- Transfer venison to serving dishes, and serve covered with the stewed quince and vegetables.
Notes
- While venison is slowly finding its way into mainstream supermarkets, specialty gourmet cuts like osso buco-style shanks are still the domain of hunters and exotic game retailers. Since hunting and processing our own deer is not part of our current repertoire, we buy ours from Fossil Farms.
- Roselle leaves are not common in most US grocery stores, but they can be sometimes be found in Indian markets under the name “gongura”. Roselle can also be grown in the garden in many parts of the country.
- Quince occasionally turn up in mainstream US supermarkets, mainly in the fall. They are also popular in Chinese and Korean cuisine, so try looking in Asian grocery stores that deal in produce from these countries (the H Mart near us regularly has them on hand).
