Osso Buco

In this installment of FoodSAZm, I am sharing probably one of my favorite meals to eat and cook: Osso Buco (Braised Veal Shank).  This is a classic meal, perfected by my dad, who then passed down his recipe to me.....and of course I had to make my own alterations to it because I refuse to follow directions and I like to experiment!  The first time I made this dish was when Justin and I were dating - we decided to cook it together, reading my dad's very detailed recipe except for one MINOR detail.....where my dad wrote "1 large garlic clove" Justin and used 1 large head of garlic....as in an entire bulb of garlic.....so now the big joke is that a) I can't read and b) 1 clove does not equal 1 bulb.

So now that we got my first major cooking blunder out of the way, I will share with you this awesomely impressive meal that's actually super easy to make.  It's best served with potato gnocchi, which you can find my recipe for here. I also like to serve it with a simple vegetable like steamed broccoli.  When buying your veal shanks, you can usually assume that you're going to be making 2 shanks per person....this is not a cheap meal, unfortunately (Veal Shanks usually cost about $15-$17 a pound) but is worth it for special occasions.....or for random Wednesday nights like I did last night!

Osso Buco

(Yields 4 Veal Shanks with extra gravy!)

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• 4 Veal Shanks - about 3” thick
• Flour for dredging
• Olive oil
• 1 Onion, sliced thin
• 1 tsp Crushed Bay Leaf
• 2 Carrots, diced
• 1 Celery stalk, diced
• 6 Thyme sprigs
• Handful Fresh Parsley
• 4 Tarragon sprigs
• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
• Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (shouldn’t need much, maybe a little salt)
• Broth – about 16 oz. -- my dad's recipe calls for Beef Broth which is usually what I've always used, however, last night I couldn't find beef broth so I used Chicken Broth and it was fantastic!
• Wondra
• 1/2 tsp Gravy Master
• Gnocchi to serve with

 

 > First, dredge all sides of your Osso Buco in Flour.

 > In a large skillet, heat up some Olive Oil, and brown the outsides of your Osso Buco - you're only browning them so just a minute or so on each side.  Remove the Osso Buco from the skillet and set aside.  You want to sear these shanks in the same vestibule that you'll end up cooking the Osso Buco in - so make sure it's a deep pan that also has a cover.

> Add a little more Olive Oil to your skillet, if necessary, and scrape the remaining flour from the bottom.  Add in your Onion, Carrot, Celery and Garlic and cook for at least 8 minutes, stirring frequently until onion starts to turn translucent.

> At this point, add your shanks back into the skillet, and add your Thyme, Tarragon, and Parsley. 

--> Add the [beef] broth so that the shanks are covered by the liquid (not necessarily completely covered, but least substantially so). Bring up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Cover and let cook for at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

 > After the shanks are done cooking, remove them from the pot and set aside.  Drain all solids from the broth, and discard - pour broth back into skillet. Bring up to a high heat and start to stir in your Wondra and Gravy Master, whisking often.  The Wondra is a thickening agent to help create a thicker gravy texture. The Gravy Master gets that beautiful brown color that we associate with gravy....at this point season with salt and pepper if needed (but it most likely will be spot on in terms of flavor).  Once you've gotten your desired thickness of gravy, add your shanks back into the skillet and cook for a few minutes on a low heat, coating/basting with the gravy.

 

> Serve the Shanks hot with gravy on top, alongside the gnocchi, covered in gravy as well!

One of the best parts of this meal, it the marrow from the bone. So if you have small forks or utensils used for eating lobsters, you should really try the marrow!

My recipe differs from my dad's in a few ways - but his is also fantastic.  He cooks with a little White Wine, and doesn't use the Thyme or Tarragon....I also used more garlic (not a whole head though this time!) ENJOY!