Osso Buco can be either fabulous, or it can be decidedly mediocre.
After many, many efforts, we have constructed an osso buco recipe comparable to that found in fine Italian restaurants. That doesn’t mean we are necessarily finished with New Italian Recipe’s Osso Buco. Like most of the “traditional” Italian recipes featured here, our osso buco will be forever “evolving”. That’s what gourmet cooking is all about for us. From all we’ve read, Osso Buco is a Milanese dish. The name means “bone with a hole” or “hollowed bone”. This refers to the veal shank bone with a large and tasty marrow filling. At the end, this dish is often garnished with a gremolata (or Gremolada), consisting of a mixture of Italian parsley, garlic and grated lemon peel. We like to add a T or so of fresh lemon juice and only a “bit” of the grated peel, but that is just our personal taste. Osso Buco’s traditional partner is a Milanese style risotto. We sometimes serve it with garlic mashed potatoes, though. The osso buco gravy slathered over mashed potatoes? Yum, yum! We hope you like this one as much as we do.
New Italian Recipes Presents Ingredients: 3-4 T extra virgin olive oil Veal or beef stock can be substituted. Gremolata: Mix in a bowl and reserve to sprinkle over individual servings.
Preparation: In a large skillet or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, add 2 T olive oil over medium high heat. Season shanks with salt and pepper on both sides, then brown them on all sides. When browning is down, remove the shanks to a bowl to be added back in later. In the same pan, reduce heat to low and add 2 T olive oil and butter or Butter Buds. Add the onions, peppers, carrots, celery and garlic. Stir well to coat, then cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. (This will allow the vegetables to release their juices. Add the Marsala or sherry and the brandy, also the balsamic vinegar. Stir in well, cover again, and let simmer on low for about 6-8 minutes. Make a “bouquet garni” out of the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. (Wrap them in cheese cloth and tie with cooking twine.) Add this to the simmering vegetables, along with the tomato paste. Increase heat to medium-high and add the shanks and chicken, veal or beef stock. Stir both in well to mix with vegetables. When broth is boiling, reduce heat to low again and cover. Cook for about 1-1 ½ hours. Veal should be “falling off the bone” tender after an hour or less. Lamb or beef might take a full hour and a half to reach maximum tenderness. Falling off the bone is probably not going to happen with lamb or beef, but the meat should be very tasty and quite tender. Garnish with gremolata, and serve the osso buco with the above-mentioned risotto, or with creamy mashed potatoes. In keeping with true gourmet cooking, here are a couple of
variations for you: Buon appetito always!
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