I have never tried Osso Buco. I rarely eat veal. Not that I don’t like the taste of veal, I guess I just consciously decided that I didn’t want to eat a baby calf.
But Osso Buco has always intrigued me.
Last week, I happened to be perusing the meat section at my market and I saw it. One single veal shank. Wrapped up real purty, with my name on it. It was calling too me. As I moved closer, I saw the label.
“FOR OSSO BUCO”. It was fate.
Now, I had to find a recipe. Where else would I do that? The Interwebs. First, I found one from Giada DeLaurentiis. Then, I turned to Twitter. and my friend Deb from Italian Food Forever sent me this link.
And I must admit, it didn’t really matter which recipe I made. In the end it was Deb’s picture that pushed me over the edge. So I used her recipe as the base for my own dish.
I always estimate amounts when I cook, as opposed to when I bake. Especially when it comes to meat dishes, because I am only cooking for one – and nobody writes recipes for just one serving. Half the fun is experimenting.
Osso Buco:
– veal shank
– flour
– salt & pepper
– butter
– olive oil
– finely chopped onion, celery and carrot (mirepoix or sofritto)
– clove of minced garlic
– dry white wine
– beef stock
– chopped tomatoes
Gremolata:
– zest of one lemon
– finely minced garlic clove
– handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Season shank with salt and pepper, then dust with flour.
In a dutch oven, melt a mixture of butter and oil, and brown the shanks well on both sides. Remove to a separate plate and pour off any fat. Add a smidge more butter, and the vegetables. Saute the vegetables until tender. Add a generous splash of wine, scrape up any brown bits on the bottom, add some beef stock, bring to a boil and reduce.
Add some tomatoes and mix well. Return the shanks to the pan, cover and place in the oven for at least 2 1/2 hours.
Serve each shank with some sauce over top and a healthy sprinkle of the gremolata topping. Add a chilled glass of the white wine used in the dish for a perfect meal!
I have to tell you, this was sooooo good, I was literally making noises when I ate it. Yes, it was that good! And though it was my first attempt at making Osso Buco, it surely won’t be my last.
How ’bout you? Have you ever had Osso Buco? Whose recipe do you use?