Osso Buco

Osso buco is a dish that has been popping up on my radar for a while now and it always looks so good. Even just the description of it sounds great; "Veal shanks braised in a white wine and tomato sauce." Braising is one of my favorite ways of cooking meat as it always turns out perfectly falling apart tender and full of flavour. The ossobuco veal shank is cut such that the marrow of the bone is exposed and it starts to melt into the pot as the veal braises infusing the dish with even more flavour. Osso bucco is commonly served with a gremolata topping that consists of chopped up garlic, parsley and lemon zest. The gremolata topping sounded so good that I could not pass on it. Risotto alla milanese or risotto flavoured with saffron is also commonly served with osso buco and I thought that it would be a perfect bed to soak up all of the excess sauce.

The osso buco takes a bit of time to make for the braising but otherwise it is pretty simple. While the meat is braising you have plenty of time to make the risotto and the gremolata at a relaxed pace. The osso buco with risotto alla milanese and gremolata was great! The meat was so tender and the sauce was absolutely packed with flavour. The tasty sauce went really well with the creamy risotto which quickly soaked up its flavours. The gremolata added a really nice touch of freshness to the meal. (I wonder what other dishes I can use a gremolata with?) I made enough for leftovers and now I will get to enjoy this tasty meal all week.

Osso Buco

(makes 4 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
4 veal shank
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup flour
4 ounces pancetta (chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
1 carrot (chopped)
1 stalk celery (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 lemon (zest only)
2 cups white wine
2 cups beef stock
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig rosemary

Directions:
1. Season the veal with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour shaking off any excess.
2. Cook the pancetta in a large oven proof pan and set aside reserving the grease in the pan.
3. Brown the veal on all sides on med/high heat one at a time and set aside.
4. Add some more oil to the pan if needed and saute the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and lemon zest on medium heat until tender, about 7-9 minutes.
5. Add the wine, stock and tomatoes and deglaze the pan and bring to a simmer.
6. Add the pancetta, veal, bay leaves, thyme and rosemary and bring to a simmer.
7. Cover and transfer to a preheated 350F oven and cook until the veal is fall off the bone tender, about 1 to 2.5 hours, turning the veal over in the middle. (Check the liquid every once in a while and top it off with some more beef broth if it falls to half way up the veal.)

Gremolata

Ingredients:
1/2 cup parsley (chopped)
1 lemon (zest only)
2 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 handful toasted pine nuts

Directions:
1. Mix everything.

Similar Recipes:
Ossobuco Tagine
Braised Short Rib Ragu
Chicken Giouvetsi
Chicken Cacciatore (Hunter Style Chicken)
Fish a la Spetsiota