Osso Buco

This is one of those special wow factor dishes for special occasions. I’ve made it many years for Christmas Day dinner. The prep is the only time consuming part, the rest is pretty easy.

Osso buco is traditionally served with Risotto alla Milanese but you could also serve it with mashed potatoes or, my choice, over cheesy parmesan polenta.

You won’t usually find veal shanks in a supermarket. You may have to special order them but better to go to a good butcher shop. Ask the butcher to cut the shanks into 2 ½ inch thick slices from the middle part of the shank; the ends of the shank are mostly bone and do not have as much meat. If you don't want to use veal, substitute with pork shank and have it cut the same way - from the middle and 2 1/2 inched thick.  

The bone marrow is important in the preparation of Osso Buco because during the cooking process it melts down, producing the signature flavor of the dish.

It’s a good idea to tie each piece of veal with a piece of kitchen string around its girth to keep the shank from falling apart during cooking. The veal should braise until the meat could fall off the bone and can be eaten with a fork.

For the veal - serves 2

2 Veal shanks cut  2 ½  inches thick

Flour for dredging

Salt & Pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion minced

½ cup celery minced

½ cup carrot minced

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio is good here)

1 ½ cup chicken stock

1 ½ cup crushed tomatoes in puree

2 sprigs worth of fresh rosemary

4 sprigs worth of fresh thyme

For the gremolata -

Make this at some point near the end of the cooking time and set aside

2 tablespoons lemon zest

¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley minced

1 clove garlic minced

For the polenta -

4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt, plus extra for seasoning

2 cups yellow cornmeal or polenta

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy pot. Add the salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Add the cheese, milk, butter, and parsley. Stir until the butter and cheese have melted. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Directions - 

Heat oven to 350.

On medium heat, melt half the butter and half the olive oil in a Dutch oven.

Season the veal with salt and pepper then dredge in flour shaking off the excess.

Brown the veal in the Dutch oven. Then remove to a platter

Add the remaining butter and oil and saute the onion, celery, carrot and garlic for about 5 minutes.

Add the wine and deglaze scraping up any browned bits reduce for 2-3 minutes

Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, rosemary and thyme. Taste for salt and pepper.

Return the veal to the casserole. Make sure the sauce comes up to the top of the shanks add more wine or stock if needed.

Cover the pot and roast in oven for about 2 hours basting occasionally and adding water if necessary until meat is fork tender.

Towards the end of the cooking time make the polenta (or the mashed potatoes or the risotto Milanese). 

Remove veal from the casserole, turn off the oven and put the veal on a plate tented with foil back in the oven to keep warm.

With a immersion blender whiz the sauce in the casserole until smooth. Bring back to a simmer.

Spoon the polenta on to each plate and set a piece of osso buco on top

Ladle some of the sauce over the meat and sprinkle with the gremolata.

Serve with some crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

You probably won't have any left-overs but if you do, enjoy later. And if there is no meat but just sauce, it is wonderful over rice or noodles.