Osso Buco

Braised in the Italian style, these fork-tender veal shanks are the perfect cold-weather dish. Serve with pasta or polenta for a soul-satisfying supper.

 

Osso Buco

 

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

6 veal shanks, each 8 to 10 oz.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 celery stalk, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbs. tomato paste

1 cup dry red wine

2 Tbs. veal demi-glace

1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

3 cups chicken or beef stock

2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Pasta or polenta for serving

 

Preheat an oven to 325ºF.

 

Put the flour in a wide, shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the veal shanks in the flour, coating evenly, and shake off the excess flour.

 

In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Working in batches, brown the veal shanks, turning once, 8 to 10 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

 

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and stir to scrape up the browned bits. Increase the heat to high, add the demi-glace, tomatoes, stock, thyme and veal and bring to a boil. Cover the pot, transfer to the oven and cook until the veal is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

 

Skim the fat off the sauce. If the sauce is too thin, place the pot on the stovetop over medium-high heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the desired consistency is reached. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley. Serve the veal and sauce with pasta or polenta. Serves 6 to 8.