Osso Buco – Veal Shank Braised in a Rich Sauce

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Mix the flour, salt and black pepper on a plate and roll the osso buco pieces in it on all sides, to a thin, even layer.

   Plate
2. 2
   Heat the oil in a wide pot and brown the osso buco pieces 4–5 minutes per side, until browned. Remove to a plate.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveWide, shallow 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.
3. 3
   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.
4. 4
   Add the garlic and fry 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.
5. 5
   Add the wine and cook 2 minutes, until the alcohol evaporates.

   Stove

   💡Reduce the wine before the tomatoes: the harsh alcohol evaporates, leaving the concentrated flavor of the wine.
6. 6
   Add the tomatoes, stock and bay leaves and bring to a boil.

   Stove
7. 7
   Return the osso buco pieces to the pot and season with salt and black pepper, and add the rosemary.
8. 8
   Turn down to low, cover and simmer 1½ hours, until the osso buco pieces fall apart easily.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
9. 9
   In a small bowl, mix the parsley, lemon zest and garlic.

   Bowl
10. 10
    Sprinkle the gremolata over the meat before serving.
11. 11
    Serve with smooth mashed potatoes.