Food, Fun, Love: Osso Buco

Get rid of the Sunday scaries with our Osso Buco! Read our recipe below.

Makes 10 servings
10 veal shanks (about 1 pound), center cut, 2 inches thick
1 cup all-purpose flour for dusting the shanks + 1/2 cup flour for sauce
1 1/2 cups olive oil
2/3 cup carrots, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
2 cups onion, finely diced
Fine sea salt
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups dry red wine
2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
(recipe to follow)
12 cups veal or chicken stock
6 ounces dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in hot water and strained - reserve the liquid
Zest of 3 lemons
1 cup glace de viande
(recipe to follow, also available in specialty stores)
1 bouquet of garni consisting of 1 fresh rosemary spring, 1 fresh sage leaf, 1 garlic clove, 1 bay leaf tied in a cheesecloth bundle.
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Tie each of the veal shanks together separately so that each shank holds together.
Toss the shanks in 1 cup of the flour so that they are evenly coated.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a pot and add the shanks and brown well on all sides, adding more oil as needed.

Remove the shanks from the pot and set aside. In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the remaining olive oil, carrots, celery, onion, garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetable are softened, about 10 minutes.

Add the remaining 1 cup of flour to thicken the mixture and cook about 3 to 5 minutes longer.

Deglaze the pan with red wine, then add the stock and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Place shanks in a roasting pan and cover with the sauce, the shanks should be completely covered with the liquid. Put the small bouquet garni inside the pan, cover with aluminum foil and roast in a 350 degree oven for 3 hours.

While the shanks are cooking, soak the porcini mushrooms in boiling chicken broth, making sure that the mushrooms are completely covered, about 2 hours until soft.

Strain the mushrooms, chop and set aside.

Place the cooked shanks on a platter, strain the sauce from the roasting pan and put back on the stove in the same roasting pan.

Add the glace de viande, chopped porcini mushrooms and lemon zest, cook over medium heat to warm the sauce through about 5 minutes.

Check the seasoning and adjust if needed. Pour the sauce over the veal shanks and sprinkle with parsley