Osso Buco Recipe

Osso Buco means bone with a hole in Italian. I made mine with veal shanks with rich marrow in the bones.

First, I put together a bouquet garni comprised of 6 cloves, 4 bay leaves, a few sprigs of rosemary and a spoonful of black pepper corns.

I tied each shank around the perimeter with kitchen twine.

Tie them snugly because they have a tendency to slip out of the twine.

Season some flour with salt, pepper and granulated garlic.

Season the veal shanks with lots of salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a heavy pot over high heat.

Coat the shanks with seasoned flour.

Fry the shanks over high heat.

They should have a golden thick crust on all sides.

While the shanks brown, dice 4 carrots.

Dice a large onion.

Also dice 5 stalks of celery.

Remove the shanks to a platter.

Add the onion to the hot oil.

Then the carrots.

Then the celery. Stir to combine and cook until the vegetables just begin to soften a bit.

Add 3 tablespoons of tomato paste.

Add 2 cups of white wine.

Add one package of veal demi glace'.

Stir the demi glace' and paste into the sauce until blended.

Add 6 cups of chicken stock.

Add the bouquet garni. I added extra rosemary and a tablespoon or so of dried thyme.

Return the shanks to the sauce and sink them down into it.

Cover the pot. Place it in a 300 degree oven for 2-3 hours. Towards the end of the cooking time, remove the lid from the pot and stick a knife into each bone to remove the marrow. Mix it into the sauce. The marrow adds a beautiful sheen and a lot of flavor to the finished sauce.

The meat should be falling off the bones. That is how you know it is done.

I served mine with some curried couscous but it is also really good served over saffron rice.

These are very simple to prepare and rival the best Osso Buco from the best Italian restaurants.

If you have never eaten Osso Buco and try this recipe, the end result gives you little pockets of meat which you pop out of the connective tissue. You will end up with discards on the side of your plate. The little rounds of meat are rich, tender and very flavorful.