Osso Buco : Veal
Osso Buco (Italian for ‘holed bone’) is a Milanese specialty of veal shanks cooked in meat broth and flavored with white wine, tomato and herbs. Slowly braised, this relatively tough, yet flavorful cut of meat becomes meltingly tender, and the connective tissues and marrow dissolve into the sauce, making it rich and creamy.
The shank is a relatively cheap cut of veal which is readily available in most good supermarkets and butcher shops. Look for meaty hind-shanks cut from the top of the thigh with a high proportion of meat-to-bone; each piece should be about 5″ across and 1″ to 1-1/2″ thick.
Ingredients
4 slices veal hind shank, about 1″ to 1-1/2″ thick
1 medium onion, chopped fine
3 ribs celery with leaves, chopped fine
1 medium carrot, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbs. butter
4 tbs. vegetable oil
1 cup dry white wine or white vermouth
2 cups meat broth
3 tbs. tomato paste
6 anchovie fillets, mashed
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2-3 bay leaves
2 strips lemon peel
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
flour
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
If the butcher has not done so, tie the shanks around the middle with kitchen twine; this will keep them from falling apart during cooking.
Choose a heavy, covered roasting pan or dutch oven which will just accommodate the veal shanks in one layer. Put the butter, 2 tablespoons of the oil, the onions, celery and carrots in the pan and sauté over medium heat until the vegetables have wilted, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and lemon peel and sauté until they’re fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a skillet until it is near the smoking point. Lightly flour the veal shanks and slip them into the oil. Richly brown the shanks on both of the cut sides, then place them in the roasting pan on top of the vegetables.
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