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An Ossobuco Recipe for a Cozy Night In at Home

Osso Bucco

Imagine a dish that transcends you to a place of serenity.  A place where everything is right with the world. That’s what Ossobuco does for me.

Ossobuco is a craveable Milanese dish (from Milan) that is made with cross-cut veal shanks and braised with vegetables in a white wine broth.

It’s perfect to make on a weekend when you need to slow down and savor your time from a long week.  And to be honest I think we could all use more of that on our weekends, don’t you?

This recipe let’s you take things at your own pace where conversations are apart of the preparation.  You can enjoy a glass of wine while you are watching over it and checking in on it.

It is truly a satisfying meal that warms your soul on a cool night.

Traditionally it is served with risotto but I honestly love it with a creamy polenta. The texture of slow-cooked braised veal combined with a creamy cheesy polenta is like heaven to me.

I think you should plan a night in with a few of your favorite people + a good bottle of wine (or 2) and get ready to be delighted.

Just a few things when purchasing veal shanks:

1. Call the butcher at the store and ask if they have veal shanks available for an Ossobuco recipe you are making.
2. Also, ask the butcher to tie it for you with twine so it’s one less step for you when you get home.
3. Marrow – this is what’s in the middle of the bone and it is delightful. Make some toast and cut into triangles to spread the marrow on.

 Let me know how it goes! 

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ossobuco plated

An Ossobuco Recipe for a Cozy Night In

  • Author: Carrie Pacini
  • Category: Italian Inspired

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 4 dry bay leaves
  • Cheesecloth (for your bouquet garni)
  • 4 whole veal shanks (about 1 pound per shank), trimmed (let the butcher know you are preparing ossobuco)
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • All purpose flour, for dredging
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 small carrot, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, diced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 6 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • Toast for the Marrow if you are inclined

Instructions

  1. To make a bouquet place the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf into the cheesecloth and secure with twine. This will be your bouquet garni. It’s a sachet of herbs.
  2. For the veal shanks, pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Veal shanks will brown better when they are dry. Make sure the meat is secured to the bone with kitchen twine. This is something you can also ask your butcher to do when you are purchasing the veal shanks.
  3. Season each shank with salt and freshly ground pepper. Dredge the shanks in flour, shaking off excess. In a large oven pot, heat vegetable oil until smoking. Add the veal shanks to the hot pan and brown all sides, about 3 minutes per side.
  4. Remove browned shanks and reserve. In the same pot, add the onion, carrot and celery. Next, season with salt to help draw out the moisture from the vegetables. Saute until soft and translucent. Add the tomato paste and mix well.
  5. Return browned shanks to the pan and add the white wine. Add the bouquet garni and 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone.
  6. Check every 15 minutes, turning shanks and adding more chicken stock as necessary. The level of cooking liquid should always be about 3/4 the way up the shank.
  7. Carefully remove the cooked shanks from the pot and place in a serving platter or individual plates. Remember to remove the kitchen twine and discard. I like to serve Ossobuco over a creamy polenta. Make sure to pour all the juices and sauce from the pot over the shanks. You can garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest.

Notes

  • You can serve over polenta or a risotto.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4

Keywords: Meals, Italian Dishes, An Ossobuco

Here are a few snapshots to show a bit of the process:

Browning Veal Shanks

ossobuco plated

 

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