Easy Osso Buco Recipe - Italian Veal Shank Stew

If you’ve never made Osso Buco, you should be happy that it’s still winter so that you have good reason to prepare this homey, meaty stew of veal shanks in white wine.

Because this stew uses generously boned shank cuts of meat, the stew has a deep and rich flavor that is nicely enhanced with the wine – it’s hard, actually, to make an Osso Buco that doesn’t taste good. Furthermore, since most of the cooking occurs as a slow braise in the oven, this dish is relatively easy to prepare and requires only a bit of active time in the kitchen.

Osso Buco (a recipe for 4)

• 4 veal shanks, each one should be just under a pound by weight and each should have a nice portion of meat around the bone
• A little oil for sautéing
• A half bottle of dry white wine (about a cup and a half)
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 1 14 ounce can of tomatoes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 bay leaf

1. Heat the oven to 325
2. If you have a Dutch oven or another heavy casserole dish that can also serve duty on the stove top, heat it over medium with a couple of spoonfuls of vegetable oil. (if you don’t, just start these off in a heavy frying pan and then transfer it all later to an oven safe casserole dish
3. Use a paper towel to dry off the surface of the veal shanks, and then sprinkle generously with salt and freshly cracked pepper, on both sides. Working in batches, fry the shanks on both sides until the meat is very nicely browned (take your time for this step and brown the meat well, as this will make a big difference and the rest of the cooking is done unattended, in any case.)
4. Reserve the browned meat in a bowl
5. Once the meat is mahogany browned, deglaze the pan with the wine, bringing the wine to a boil and scraping the pan until all browned bits are released and the bottom is once again clean.
6. Pour the wine and the browned bits from the pan over the reserved shanks in the bowl and reserve.
7. Add a little more oil (2 Tbls or so) to the pan, and then toss in the onion, the carrot and the celery – and sauté until all have softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic in at the end, for the last minute or so.
8. Return the meat and wine to the pan (Dutch oven) and add in the chicken stock, the tomatoes and the bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil and then cover and transfer to the preheated oven
   
   
9. Let the braise cook gently for about 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender. Taste the sauce and add salt as necessary.
10. To serve, plate on shank per person and cover with a generous amount of the sauce from the pan - Sprinkle with a little gremolata (see recipe below) over the top. This is very good beside mashed potatoes or creamy polenta

Gremolata

• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 Tbls of minced lemon zest
• 2 Tbls of minced fresh parsley

Mix together