Osso buco is usually a veal shank that is cross cut and braised in vegetables, white wine and stock. It is traditionally served with risotto or polenta and is topped with gremolata. This dish is usually expensive in restaurants.

This dish is pretty easy to make. It is hard to find shanks of any kind. Near where I live they sell beef shanks at my local Asiana Market. They sell mostly the smallest ones.

Anyways.

Just salt and pepper the shanks well.

Brown them on medium high heat on both sides (around 3 minutes a side). (It will come out tasting best if you saved beef fat from something you cooked……you can use oil.

Don’t clean the pan or pot.

Fry up a big onion, a few carrots, one hot pepper, a few celery till almost soft. Add a cup of white wine and let it cook down.

Add around half a can of tomato paste and try to fry it up at the bottom of the pan or pot.

Add around a 14 oz can of Italian tomatoes.

Add 2 bay leaves, Tablespoon thyme, Tablespoon oregano, 3 or 4 garlic cloves. I had seasoned beef jus from something else I made so I added that.

Then it all goes in a baking dish or pan….Or you can do this stove top if you prefer.

This gets covered tight.

It will take at least 3 hours at 375 F The last one I did was a little bigger and took 5 hours. You might need to check on it and add more liquid.

When it finally becomes tender remove the foil that covers the pan and let it go another half hour.

Suggested serving is risotto or polenta.

I had mashed potatoes and Brussel sprouts that I had to use up so that is what we had.

Top the meat with some of the contents of the pan…(some people blend this up Osso it’s smooth…but I didn’t)

Top with gremolata. (parsley, orange & lemon zest, garlic (ground to paste), salt , pepper.

Enjoy!