What do these foods have in common: roast chicken, baked barbecue ribs, fried chicken wings, grilled trout and broiled lamb chops? They are a sampling of popular foods that are cooked on the bone. In our obsession with hurry-hurry, easy-preparation meals, we too often buy boneless, skinless, precut and even prepackaged meats and fish. Fast, yes. But much has been lost. We've sacrificed a lot of flavor for speed and convenience.

	Tony Tye, Post-Gazette Osso buco gets much of its flavor from the bone in its center. Click photo for larger image.

Worldwide, bone-in cuts are common, but in the United States they are largely passed over. Roasts are saved for holidays, if they are cooked at all. Carving is almost a lost art. The aroma of hearty dishes such as short ribs and lamb shoulder is relegated to memory and wishful thinking. A consequence of ignoring bone-in, tasty and often cheap cuts of meat is that we no longer know how to cook them. We've thrown away or have forgotten the recipes for them.

That's the bad news.

The good news is that Toronto author and chef Jennifer McLagan has written a cookbook to help us remember: "Bones: Recipes, History and Lore" (William Morrow, $34.95).

"Bones are disappearing from our kitchens," she says. "As they fall out of favor, the ways they enhance and improve the food we eat are forgotten and ignored."

She thinks we must fight the current fascination with fast and quick, boneless (and often tasteless) food. In a world where resources are increasingly limited, we must learn to value the whole animal. Steers are more than steaks; chickens are more than breasts; fish isn't shaped like a stick.

That's the preachy (but true) part of her book. If you don't want the sermon, just know that meat cooked on the bone is delicious, and the sauces that result are rich and full-bodied. And remember the saying, "the nearer the bone, the sweeter the meat." There's truth to that.

In the kitchen

Reading "Bones" was an invitation to play. Winter is still with us, perfect weather for making oven-roasted dinners. Here are some of the dishes I made recently from the book.

Osso buco. Restaurants make a big and expensive deal out of it, but everybody's favorite is one of the easiest dishes to make. Brown meat, brown vegetables, add wine and seasonings, cover and bake for two hours. Because this dish improves with standing, it can be made in advance and reheated. Good for a weeknight, good for company. When garnished with a fresh chop of parsley, garlic and lemon, osso buco sure beats boneless skinless anymeat tossed in a microwave oven for 15 minutes.

Lamb shanks. Another easy dish, lamb braised in the oven in its own concentrated juices is a match for either family or company dinners. Cook the shanks as they are, or ask the butcher to "french" the bones for you, cutting the tendon so that the bone is exposed.

Roasted marrow bones. I grew up on these. My mum would roast the bones, then the two of us would sit at the kitchen table and scoop the soft, creamy marrow from the center of the bones onto toasted homemade bread. Salt and pepper were the only seasonings we needed.

Never had it? Marrow is mild tasting with the consistency of butter, and gourmets compare it to foie gras. If you decide to try the recipe, serve the bones with an herbed crumb topping and a salad vinaigrette on the side. If you're having company, though, watch whom you invite. At a recent dinner party where bones were the first course, one guest said it looked like a grisly crime scene.

Oxtail. For rich flavor and meltingly tender texture, oxtail can't be beat. Leftover meat taken from the bone makes a hearty pasta sauce. It is most often braised with root vegetables, but, cooked in a Chinese-inspired style with ginger and soy sauce, oxtail makes an unusually flavorful dinner. All oxtail recipes need to be made a day in advance so you can chill the mixture and remove the layer of fat. Oxtail is delicious, but most kids wouldn't touch it, mainly because you usually end up picking up pieces and sucking all the meat from the bones. Dinner can be a sticky-fingers affair.

The book and the cook

Ms. McLagan was inspired to write "Bones" when she and her husband were celebrating an anniversary in Paris. A diner at a nearby table was tucking into a plate of three towering marrow bones, each with a different topping. It looked so good, she ordered some for herself. As she reflected on this simple indulgence, she was inspired to research bones and write a cookbook. Already a food writer and stylist, Ms. McLagan was a short step from testing for a manuscript. This is her first cookbook.

"Eating boneless, skinless chicken breast is like chewing on a paper towel," she says. "People want their food to taste good. But they have to take a little time to make that happen. You should become friendly with your butcher. He will save bones and make special cuts for you."

Ms. McLagan covers her braises with a sheet of crumpled parchment before adding a lid. "It's a good way to keep the moisture in the pot and keeps the meat from drying out," she says.

This is a book for every skill level. Each chapter includes recipes for stocks, soups, ribs, legs and lesser-used parts such as the neck, too. There are traditional recipes such as Crown Roast of Pork and fresh takes on home-style favorites such as Coconut Chicken Curry. She suggests braised breast of veal, grilled whole quail, roast duck and braised rabbit to round out choices for the home cook. Full-color photos were simply styled by the author. The easily read book shows that you don't have to be a pro to cook meat on the bone.

For those who keep cookbooks by the bedside instead of the kitchen, there is much to read on the history and lore of bones. Bet you didn't know that bone china does indeed contain bones in the form of calcined bone ash. Next time you have a china cup of Earl Grey, think about this. To make the ash, animal bones are stripped of meat, heated and ground into a powder that is added to the porcelain. Bone china is not only stronger, but also less likely to chip than regular porcelain.

Congratulations are in order for Ms. McLagan. "Bones" has won an award for best single-subject cookbook in the English language from the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. This places her as a finalist in the worldwide competition. Winners will be announced at a gala dinner in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 21. See you there?

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OSSO BUCO

For best results, use your heaviest Dutch oven, preferably enameled cast iron, to make this dish. When shopping, make sure that the bone of each piece of veal has a soft marrow center. Be sure to give each diner a small, narrow knife (a lobster pick works in a pinch) to remove the creamy marrow from the bone. Spread the marrow on toast.

• 4 to 6 meaty, bone-in veal shanks, weighing 8 to 12 ounces each, about 2 inches thick
  
• Flour for dredging
  
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, approximately
  
• 1 anchovy fillet
  
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
  
• 2 small carrots, peeled and sliced
  
• 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
  
• 1 celery stalk, diced
  
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
  
• 1/2 cup tomato puree
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
  
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  
• Toasted, crusty peasant bread

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium heat for 2 minutes. Dredge veal shanks in flour. When Dutch oven is hot, add 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 veal shanks and brown them on both sides, seasoning with salt and pepper as they brown. Remove them to a plate, add remaining 2 veal shanks to casserole and repeat. Do not crowd the pan. This will take a total of about 15 minutes.

Wipe out the pan with a paper towel to remove burned bits of flour, if necessary. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and anchovy filet, mashing it into oil. Add garlic and vegetables and cook over medium heat until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add veal shanks, nestling them into vegetables. Combine wine and tomato puree in a small container, then pour mixture over the meat and vegetables.

Cover casserole with a lid and place in oven. Cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until meat is tender to falling off the bone and juices are reduced. If necessary, add a small amount of wine or water during cooking.

Meanwhile, combine parsley, garlic and lemon zest in a small bowl. When ready to serve, remove meat to a heated platter.

Some cooks like to strain the sauce, but others prefer to keep the vegetables as is. Stir parsley, garlic and lemon peel into sauce, strained or not. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer on the stove top for 2 minutes. Pour sauce over meat. Serve with baked polenta and pass crusty peasant bread.

Serves 4 generously.

SHORT RIBS 1-2-3

Here's a trick from Rozanne Gold's "Recipes 1-2-3." She tenderizes and flavors meat in an overnight marinade of teriyaki sauce and prune juice. Yes, prune juice. Don't tell anyone what's in the dish before you serve it. Serve with buttered noodles or polenta and a big salad. If you're serving wine, a zinfandel makes a good match.

To get exactly what you want, call ahead to the butcher and tell him what you want for a certain day. Take your recipe with you, lest you be talked into a cut that may be more convenient for the butcher to get for you. If you are buying short ribs, see that all of the ribs are the same size and shape before they are wrapped. (Prepackaged ribs can vary in thickness and ratio of bone to meat.)

• 3 to 4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs, cut into serving pieces
  
• 1 cup teriyaki sauce
  
• 1 cup prune juice
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

Place meat in a lidded container and cover with a mixture of teriyaki sauce and prune juice. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 1 day. Remove ribs from the marinade and set aside.

In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine marinade, 1 cup water and peppercorns. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, add meat and cover. Cook for 2 hours, or until meat is very tender or falls away from the bone. (You may also cook the meat in a preheated 300-degree oven for 2 hours.)

Transfer cooked short ribs to a platter. Increase heat to medium-high and cook sauce for 5 minutes, or until it is syrupy. Pour it over meat and serve hot. To reheat, remove any congealed fat from the top of sauce and slowly warm ribs in liquid.

Serves 4.

ROASTED MARROW BONES

Plan on two marrow bones per person as a first course. An appetizer serving will have one short and one taller bone.

• 8 to 10 veal or beef marrow bones, about 2 or 3 inches long
  
• Kosher salt
  
• Vegetable oil
  
• Parsley Salad (recipe follows)
  
• 8 slices rustic bread, toasted
  
• Good quality sea salt

Place bones in a bowl of ice water to cover, add 2 tablespoons salt and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, changing the water 4 to 6 times and adding 2 more tablespoons salt to water each time. (In cold weather, I soak the bones on the back porch.)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Drain bones and pat dry. Stand them up in a lightly oiled roasting pan and roast for 15 to 25 minutes or until marrow has puffed slightly and is warm in the center. Put the blade of a narrow knife in the center of a bone; there should be no resistance when the knife is inserted, and a little of the marrow should have melted and started to leak from the bones.

While bones are roasting, prepare parsley salad and toast.

Divide bones among four plates and serve hot, with salad, toast and sea salt. Each diner scoops out the marrow and spreads it on the toast, sprinkling with salt. A bit of freshly ground pepper is good, too.

Parsley salad: Mix equal parts of flat-leaf parsley and celery leaves, about 1/2 cup each. Combine with a finely diced shallot, torn frisee and radicchio and dress the salad with olive oil and a sprinkling of cider vinegar.

Gremolata: Combine 3 parts chopped parsley to 1 part minced garlic and 1 part lemon zest. Sprinkle over the marrow.

Makes 4 appetizer servings.

CHINESE-STYLE OXTAIL

Oxtail is popular in Chinese cuisine where gelatinous textures are appreciated. Coated in a rich anise-soy-flavored sauce, even the small pieces with only a little meat are irresistible. Make the dish a day in advance so you can chill it and remove the layer of fat. Serve with braised bok choy and steamed rice.

• 5 pounds oxtail, cut into pieces
  
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  
• 2 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
• 1/2 cup Chinese wine or dry sherry
  
• 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
  
• 2 cups water
  
• 1 star anise, broken apart
  
• 3 scallions, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
  
• 4 slices fresh ginger (nickel size)
  
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
  
• 1 orange

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Trim any excess fat off oxtail, then pat dry. Season lightly with salt and generously with freshly ground black pepper. In a Dutch oven or flameproof casserole, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Brown oxtail in batches, adding more oil if necessary. As they brown, transfer oxtail pieces to a plate.

Discard any fat from pot, then pour in wine and bring to a boil, deglazing pot by scraping up browned bits from bottom. Mix soy sauce and sugar with 2 cups water and pour into pot. Add star anise, scallions, ginger and garlic and bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

Using a vegetable peeler, remove 4 large strips of zest from orange; reserve orange. Add zest and oxtail to pot. Cover with a damp piece of parchment paper and then lid. Transfer to oven. Cook for 1 1/2 hours.

Turn pieces of oxtail, cover again with parchment and lid, and cook for another 1 1/2 hours or until oxtail is very tender. Transfer oxtail to a dish and strain sauce through a sieve into a glass measuring cup or a bowl; discard debris in sieve. Cool, then cover sauce and oxtail and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Remove all fat from top of jellied liquid and any from oxtail pieces. Place oxtail pieces in a single layer in a baking dish.

Heat sauce in a small saucepan until liquid, then pour over oxtail. Cover, transfer to oven and cook for 30 minutes.

Uncover baking dish and stir oxtail. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and cook for 15 minutes. Turn pieces of oxtail to coat with sauce and cook for another 15 minutes, or until hot and glazed.

Meanwhile squeeze 1/4 cup juice from orange. Remove glazed oxtail from oven and pour in juice. Stir the juice into sauce and serve.