Favrotie Osso Buco
Submitted by JohnBean99
Osso buco braises veal shanks in onion butter, white wine, and tomato until fall-apart tender, then finishes with gremolata of garlic, parsley, and lemon zest. A Milanese classic for special dinners.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
2¾ hrsREADY
3 hrsAn old-school Milanese braise where veal shanks slowly surrender to butter, white wine, and a whisper of tomato over the better part of two hours. The cross-cut shanks reveal the marrow-filled bone in the center, which is half the prize at the table; some Italians serve a tiny spoon just for digging it out.
The onions here are unusual. They get sauteed soft, then strained out, leaving behind only their sweet-savory essence in the butter. It’s a classic Italian move that adds depth without adding pieces of onion to the sauce.
Keep the marrow side facing up the whole braise. Flipping the shanks lets the marrow dissolve into the pan, and you lose what makes osso buco osso buco.
Gremolata, the last-minute scatter of minced garlic, parsley, and lemon zest, is a must. It cuts through the richness and lifts every bite. Serve over risotto Milanese with saffron, or any soft polenta or buttered noodles.
Chef Tips
- Tie each shank around the equator with kitchen twine before browning. It keeps the meat attached to the bone during the long braise.
- Pat the shanks bone dry before flouring. Wet meat steams instead of browning.
- Add wine in two stages, letting each addition reduce nearly to glaze. That layered reduction builds the sauce flavor.
- Don’t skip the gremolata. The raw garlic and lemon are what separate this from any other braise.
Variations
- Use beef shanks if veal isn’t available, but increase the braise time by 30 minutes.
- Add a chopped carrot and stalk of celery for a more rustic, less classical version.
- Stir a splash of brandy into the sauce at the end for a richer, deeper finish.
Ingredients
Directions
MELT THE BUTTER in a large casserole.
Add the sliced onion and sauté over medium heat until soft and just beginning to color (about 10 minutes).
With a slotted spoon, remove the onion to a plate and press it against the plate to extract its juices and let them run back into the pan.
Discard the onion.
Dry the veal pieces with paper towels. Flour them lightly and brown them over medium heat in the onion-flavored butter.
Salt and pepper the pieces, raise heat to medium-high and pour on half the wine.
After a moment, turn the pieces of veal over, salt and pepper the other sides.
Pour on the rest of the wine when the first half has evaporated.
When all the wine has evaporated, arrange the veal pieces so that the wide marrow opening is up.
Add the diluted tomato paste, cover, and cook over low heat about 1½ hours, or until the veal is tender.
During that time, move the pieces around to prevent them from sticking, and baste them occasionally with their cooking juices, using a bulb baster, but don’t turn them over lest the marrow dissolve and run out.
(You can add a tablespoon or 2 of warm water if the sauce seems to be drying out--but the veal will probably exude plenty of its own juices after the first half hour of cooking.)
While the veal is cooking, finely chop together the garlic, parsley and lemon.
Five minutes before serving, stir it into the casserole.
Classically, this dish is served with risotto Milanese, made with saffron and Parmesan cheese, but any simple rice or pasta preparation will do.
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