"Osso
Buco" is a hearty dish originating in Milan, Italy in the late 1800's.
Basically it is the cross-cut section of veal shank which is braised
with vegetables, white wine and broth. Traditionally, it is garnished
with “Gremolata”
and served with “Risotto
alla Milanese”.
It has become one of my signature dishes over the years and of
course, everything I do usually involves a culinary twist. So here's
mine .. I hope you enjoy making and eating my
award winning “Osso
Bucco”.
Here's
what you need ..
4
2 ½-inch tall Veal Shanks
Extra-Virgin
Olive Oil
1
large Onion .. coarsely chopped
3
Celery Ribs .. coarsely chopped
1
Fennel Bulb .. coarsely chopped
3
cloves Garlic .. smashed
Pinch
Crushed Red Pepper
¾-cup
Tomato Paste .. (Cento)
2
cups dry White Wine .. (Orvieto)
Chicken
Stock
Water
3
Bay Leaves
1
fresh Thyme Bundle
Coarse
Ground Black Pepper
Kosher
Salt
Here's
what you do ..
Tie
the veal shanks tightly and equatorially with string. Usually two
strings per shank will suffice. Season them generously with salt
pepper.
Coat
a “French
Oven”
generously with olive oil. I love using “La
Creuset”
for all my braising dishes. However, any lidded, oven proof dutch
oven style pan will suffice.
Bring
the pan to high heat. Once there, add the veal shanks to the pan and
brown them on all sides. Being careful not to knock the strings
off,
In
your food processor, gotta love my “Kitchenaid”,
puree the onion, celery, fennel, and garlic to a coarse paste. When
the veal shank is well browned on all sides, remove it from the pan
and reserve. Toss the excess oil from the pan and add a little new
oil and bring it back up to a high heat. Add the veggies with a pinch
of crushed red pepper, season with salt, and brown them very well.
This is the most important step in making not only a perfect braising
liquid, but the first step in most Italian sauce recipes! This step
will take awhile, 20 to 30 minutes or more. You want to “brown”
the veggies. Browned food tastes good!
Next,
add the tomato paste and cook until it starts to brown as well, 4 to
5 minutes. Add the wine and reduce by it half. Taste and adjust
seasoning.
Preheat
the oven to 375 degrees F.
Return
the veal shanks to the pan. Add enough chicken stock so the liquid
becomes even with top of the meat. Taste the liquid and season if
needed. Add in the bay leaves and thyme bundle. Bring the liquid to a
boil, cover, and put the whole pan in the oven.
Cook
the veal shanks for 1 hour. Pull the pan out of the oven and check
the liquid level and the seasoning. Add water, if needed, return the
pan to the oven, and cook for another hour.
Remove
the lid and cook for 30 minutes. After that time, take the pan from
the oven, remove the veal shanks, and hold them on a serving platter.
Skim the fat off the surface of the sauce, but only if needed. Taste
the sauce and adjust seasoning.
Remove
the string from the veal shanks. Serve the “Osso
Buco”
with sauce spooned over. Garnish with my “Apple
Parsley Salad”.
Here's
what you need ..
1
Apple .. thinly sliced into fingers
½-cup
Parsley Leaves .. finely chopped
1
Garlic Clove .. minced
Dressing
3-tbs
Honey
1
½-tbs Rice Wine Vinegar
¼-cup
Mayonnaise
1-tsp
Dijon Mustard
dash
of Sesame Oil
3-tbs
Pistachios
Here's
what you do ..
In
a small bowl, combine all the ingredients stir and pile a small
amount on each veal shank and a sprinkle of pistachios*
In
the photo, I used “Cauliflower
Puree”
to win the award. Traditionally though, “Risotto
alla Milanese”
is the side of choice.
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