Osso Buco - Oven-Braised Veal Shank

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F).

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   Mix the flour, salt and black pepper on a plate and roll slice the veal shank in it on all sides, to a thin, even layer.

   Plate
3. 3
   Heat the oil in a wide pot that can go in the oven and brown slice the veal shank on all sides. Remove to a plate.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveCast-iron pot

   💡Brown the meat in batches, without crowding: in a crowded pot it stews in its own juices instead of searing.

   💡What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
4. 4
   Add the onion, celery and carrot to the oil left in the wide pot and fry 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
5. 5
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
6. 6
   Add the wine and cook 3 minutes, until the alcohol evaporates.

   Stove

   💡Reduce the wine before the tomatoes: the harsh alcohol evaporates, leaving the concentrated flavor of the wine.
7. 7
   Add the tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil.

   Stove
8. 8
   Return slice the veal shank to the pot.
9. 9
   Cover the pot and put it in the oven for 1.5–2 hours, until slice the veal shank very soft.

   OvenCast-iron pot

   💡In the oven, heat reaches the pot from all sides, not just from below: a large cut cooks slowly and evenly for hours without sticking to the bottom.
10. 10
    In a small bowl, mix the parsley, lemon zest and garlic.

    Bowl
11. 11
    Sprinkle the gremolata over the meat before serving.