Classic recipe for veal osso buco, cooked low and slow until incredibly fall off the bone tender. Serve with fresh gremolata and creamy polenta.
A Little About Osso Buco
If you're not familiar with osso buco, it literally means "bone with a hole", as in the shank. The traditional meat served is veal, which is very tender and full of flavor. If you have any hesitancy with veal, using beef, lamb and pork shanks are a good option.
Ingredients
- Veal Shanks
- Red Wine
- White Onion
- Garlic Cloves
- Celery Stalks
- Carrots
- Tomato Paste
- Bay Leaves
- Assorted Herbs
- Beef Stock
- Mushrooms
- Salt and Pepper
- Olive Oil
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet on high and drizzle with olive oil. Season veal shanks with salt and pepper and rub olive oil on both sides. Sear veal shanks on both sides until caramelized and browned. It does not have be to cooked all the way, just seared on the outside. When done, reserve the shanks on a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, pour in red wine and whole peppercorns and bring on high to deglaze the pan. Take your spatula and scrape off the meaty bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow the wine to reduce for a few minutes until it gets slightly thicker.
- When done, add shanks to slow cooker (or you can use a dutch oven), add chopped onion, garlic, celery, carrots, de-glazing liquid, tomato paste, chopped herbs and bay leaves. Pour in 2 cups of beef stock (low sodium, preferably and season with salt and pepper and top everything with sliced mushrooms (so they don't cook as quickly).
- If using a slow cooker, cook on high for 5 hours. If using a dutch oven, bring to a boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer and continue to cook for about 4 hours or until the shanks are very tender.
- To make gremolata, finely chop parsley leaves and add to a bowl. Use a microplane or small grated to grate lemon zest and grate fresh garlic. Mix everything together and garnish gremolata on top on each serving.
- To make polenta please follow this recipe
- To serve, plate polenta on the bottom, then add 1 veal shank with some sauce and vegetables and top with gremolata.
5 hours is the secret of a good osso buco
There are so many beautiful things about this dish..everything from the 5 hour long wine reduction to the hearty mushrooms and marrow. Oh ya...the marrow...aka "meat butter". The perfect gift after a good 5 hour long braise.
If you have ever wanted to be daring or just enjoy good honest flavors, you better get inside that bone and get every piece of marrow out. Spread it on a toasted baguette and bask in the glory. The glorious thing about Italian food and culture, is that they don't waste anything. All parts of the animal are used or eaten, so enjoy the marrow and don't let it go to waste.
Gremolata, a Bright Fresh Topping for Osso Buco or any Stew, Really
And the final touch to a hearty robust stew, gremolata. Freshly chopped herbs (I love using fresh parsley), garlic and lemon zest. Sprinkle a good amount after you plate up the stew. The fresh garnish just wakes all the flavors up after a long braise.
Serve with orzo or creamy polenta like I did tonight.
More recipes from around the world
Osso Buco with Polenta and Gremolata
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
Osso Buco
- 4 veal shanks
- 2 cups red wine
- 2 Tb whole peppercorns
- ½ white onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 2 Tb tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- Small bunch of assorted herbs parsley, fresh oregano, thyme and rosemary, finely chopped
- 2 cups beef stock low sodium, preferably
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms button or cremini
- Salt pepper to taste
- Olive oil for drizzling
Gremolata
- Small bunch a few stems fresh parsley, chopped finely
- 1 small garlic clove grated
- 1 Tb lemon zest
Polenta recipe can be found here
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet on high and drizzle with olive oil. Season veal shanks with salt and pepper and rub olive oil on both sides. Sear veal shanks on both sides until caramelized and browned. It does not have be to cooked all the way, just seared on the outside. When done, reserve the shanks on a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, pour in red wine and whole peppercorns and bring on high to deglaze the pan. Take your spatula and scrape off the meaty bits from the bottom of the pan. Allow the wine to reduce for a few minutes until it gets slightly thicker.
- When done, add shanks to slow cooker (or you can use a dutch oven), add chopped onion, garlic, celery, carrots, de-glazing liquid, tomato paste, chopped herbs and bay leaves. Pour in 2 cups of beef stock (low sodium, preferably and season with salt and pepper and top everything with sliced mushrooms (so they don't cook as quickly).
- If using a slow cooker, cook on high for 5 hours. If using a dutch oven, bring to a boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer and continue to cook for about 4 hours or until the shanks are very tender.
- To make gremolata, finely chop parsley leaves and add to a bowl. Use a microplane or small grated to grate lemon zest and grate fresh garlic. Mix everything together and garnish gremolata on top on each serving.
- To make polenta please follow this recipe
- To serve, plate polenta on the bottom, then add 1 veal shank with some sauce and vegetables and top with gremolata.
Joanne says
What a meal! This is worthy of serving at a high class restaurant.
Samantha says
Thanks Joanne! I totally agree...my favorite dish ever!