Osso buco

Tonight I challenged myself to prepare osso buco for the first time. Diligently following the recipe in The Joy of Cooking, I prepped my workstation and cut my vegetables. Literally translated, osso buco is a bone with a hole that contains marrow. In this classic north Italian dish, a seasoning mixture, gremolata, is added at the end. So, read carefully and allow yourself at least 3 hours to prepare this amazing dish.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and pre-heat to 325 degrees.

Pat dry your very meaty slices of veal shank.

In a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, hat over medium-high heat:

2 tablespoons olive oil

Add the shanks and brown well on all sides, adding more oil as needed. Remove to a plate. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add to the pan:

1/3 cup diced carrots
1/3 cup diced onions
1/3 cup diced celery
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small bouquet garni (this is a tied up bouquet of spices)

Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Return the shanks to the pan and arrange in a single layer.

1 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock

The liquid should reach about halfway up the shanks. Increase the heat to high, bring to a boil, and cover with the lid. Place in the oven and braise for 1 hour.

Have available 1 to 2 cups chicken stock.

Turn the shank slices over and add stock if needed to keep the level halfway up the shanks. Braise until the meat is tender (absolutely falling off the bone), about 30 minutes more.

Meanwhile, to prepare the gremolata, mix together in a small bowl:

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

When the veal is cooked, remove the shanks to an ovenproof serving platter and keep warm in the oven with the door ajar. Spoon off any fat from the braising juices; strain the juices into a saucepan, and boil over high heat until slightly thickened. Add the gremolata and season with salt and fresh pepper to taste.

Spoon the sauce over the veal. Serve with risotto milanese or rice pilaf. Enjoy!!