Can't decide what to make for dinner? Vine and Tap head chef has you covered

Are you tired of alternating between the classics of spag bol, stir-fry, and meat and three veg?

Well, that's why we've called on the chefs from some of Bathurst's favourite restaurants, to share their favourite recipes for home cooking with the Western Advocate and our readers.

For the head chef at Vine and Tap, Michael Madden, one of his current favourite recipes is all about impressing the crowds with little effort.

"I've cooked this recipe a few times over the last month and a half, and it's Osso Bucco Milanese with saffron risotto and gremolata," he said.

"It's just slow braised meat with a few vegetables and chicken stock and a few herbs.

"And then I serve it with a saffron risotto, which is very easily made with arborio rice, onion, chicken stock and a few strands of saffron, and the gremolata which goes on top is just parsley, lemon zest, and garlic."

The dish, according to Mr Madden, is one that can be whipped up quickly in the morning before work, thrown into the oven or the slow cooker, and it's ready in time for a delicious dinner.

"It's really, really easy," he said.

"It's very much a set-and-forget type of dish, with a little bit of cooking at the start of the day and then if you just put it in the slow cooker or the oven and go to work and come back, it will be ready."

And the best part is the taste.

It's simple, and effective, and almost always guaranteed to please a crowd.

"It's bloody delicious first of all, and it's always a show-stopper, so people get impressed by it because it tastes so good, but it's so easy," he said.

"It's a good way to get a humble brag in, when really there isn't a lot of work to it."

The first step of the process is to prepare the Osso Bucco, which is a relatively inexpensive cut of veal, by seasoning with salt and pepper and covering it in flour.

Then it's time to sear the Osso Bucco in a large fry pan with a generous amount of olive oil.

While the meat is searing, dice your veggies - onion, carrot, celery and a lot of garlic. Once the meat is brown on all sides, remove from the fry pan and place in a deep roasting dish.

De-glaze the fry pan with wine, then add the chopped vegetables and cook on low heat until soft, once soft, add them to the roasting pan along with the Osso Bucco with rosemary and thyme.

Add enough chicken stock to the roasting pan to cover three quarters of the Osso Bucco.

Then wrap with foil and braise in the oven for three hours, or cook in the slow cooker.

While the meat is being prepared, it's time to start the risotto.

For this, the first step is to bring two litres of chicken stock to a simmer in one pot, along with three grams of saffron for seasoning.

In a separate pan, cook up some onion in butter, and add arborio rice. Cook on low heat for ten minutes, stirring constantly.

Then, add one large ladle of the saffron infused chicken stock to the rice, and stir constantly over the heat until stock is absorbed completely.

Repeat this process until the rice is cooked Al dente.

To make gremolata, chop parsley leaves and chop finely. Add the zest of one lemon and two finely diced garlic gloves.

Once everything is finished cooking, it's time to serve.

Place one large scoop of risotto in the centre of a serving bowl, spoon one Osso Bucco on top of the rice, spoon some braising liquid and then sprinkle gremolata over everything.

According to Mr Madden, there's one extra tip that comes with delivering a delicious meal, and it's all in the little extras.

"When it comes to cooking at home, the key difference between what you're eating at a restaurant and what you're eating at home is butter and salt,"

"Don't be afraid of it. Yes everybody needs good nutrition, it's important, but live a little bit and throw an extra teaspoon of butter in."