Osso Buco
Osso Buco, or braised veal shanks, is a classic northern Italian dish, and one of my favorite braised dished to make.
It’s a great no fuss weekend dish, all you need is a little prep time to chop the vegetables and brown the veal shanks. Add some tomatoes, beef stock and a little wine to the pot, then into the oven while you get on with other things. The veal braises happily away in a low oven until it is fall off the bone tender.
The sauce can be left chunky, with bits of onion, carrot, and celery, or if you prefer, lightly purée with a hand-held immersion blender for a smoother sauce.
Plan for one veal shank per person, that way everyone will get a marrow-filled bone (the marrow is delicious smeared over a slice of toasted baguette!)
You will likely have extra meat and sauce for leftovers. Served over pasta, the leftovers make a delicious, quick, and easy weekday meal.
The Gremolata
A scattering of citrusy, garlicky gremolata to add a hit of bright freshness is the perfect way to finish your osso buco.
I use both lemon and orange zest along with the garlic and parley, you can use just lemon, or lemon and lime if you prefer.
For the gremolata, I’ve used a vegetable peeler to remove the zest, then cut the zest into matchsticks. This can also be done using a zester, or for a finer texture use a microplane, or the fine holes on a grater.
What to serve with your osso buco?
The classic accompaniment to Osso buco is a saffron-scented risotto (Risotto alla Milanese) but my favorite way to serve it is spooned overtop of creamy polenta.
For a quick, easy accompaniment, mashed potatoes, or pasta make great no-fuss alternatives.
Ingredients
- 4 veal shanks each about 2 inches (5 cm) thick
- 2 tbsp flour for dusting
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
- 28 ounce can of plum tomatoes (796 ml)
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup low sodium beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 tsp thyme
- salt and pepper
The Gremolata
- 1 lemon
- 1 orange
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Heat olive oil in a large pot, or Dutch oven, over med-high heat. Dust the veal with flour and brown on both sides in the olive oil. Transfer to a plate, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Add the onions, carrot, and celery to the pot, adding more oil as needed, cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Next add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it becomes darker, about 2-3 minutes then deglaze with the white wine.
- Place the plum tomatoes and their juices in a large bowl, using a spoon or by hand, crush slightly to break the tomatoes up. Add the tomatoes, stock, and garlic to the pot, lightly season with salt and pepper, and give everything a good stir.
- Return the veal to the pot, pushing it down so it is submerged in the liquid, nestle the bay leaf and thyme into the sauce.
- Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to the oven. Bake for 45 minutes. Reduce the oven to 325°F (165 °C) and bake for 1 hour. Taste the sauce, adjust the seasoning.
- To serveRemove the veal shanks from the pot, separate the bone from the meat and slice or shred the meat. At this point you can lightly puree the sauce with a hand-held immersion blender if you want a less chunky sauce. Place a marrow-filled bone on each plate along with some of the meat, spoon sauce over top and finish with a scattering of the gremolata.
Gremolata
- While the veal is cooking prepare the gremolata. Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of the orange and lemon (coloured part of the peel only). Cut the strips into matchstick size juliennes. In a bowl, combine the zest, minced garlic and chopped parsley.
- Scatter a bit of the gremolata over each serving of the finished dish
Notes
- The sauce can be served as is, or if you prefer a slightly smoother sauce, lightly pureed with a hand-held immersion blender.
- Leftover meat and sauce can be served over pasta for a quick and easy weeknight meal.