Osso Buco, as promised

Remember my list of foodie resolutions for 2007? Well, one of the items there was to make osso buco, the Italian veal shank stew*. I'm happy to report that I made osso buco about a month ago, and it was absolutely fabulous. It was just as juicy and sweet and meaty and melting and savoury and delicious as I had expected it to be. 'My' osso buco was heavily reliant on Clotilde's take on the French take of the Italian dish, with some tips nicked from Elise, some from The River Cafe Cook Book and some from "Daily Mail" Modern British Cookbook. Interesting mix of sources, eh :)

I served it with saffron-infused boiled rice, but the traditional accompaniment would be Risotto alla Milanese.

Vasikakoodid ostsin Viimsi lihapoest. Väga head koodid olid!

Osso Buco
(Itaalia veisekoodihautis Osso Buco)
Serves 6




1 kg veal shanks
3-4 Tbsp plain flour
salt & black pepper
2 Tbsp oil
300 grams onions, chopped finely
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
1 carrot, cut into small cubes
1 celery stick, cut into small cubes
400 grams chopped peeled tomatoes
200 ml dry white wine
300 ml veal stock
2 bay leaves
2 fresh sprigs of thyme
half a lemon
chopped flat-leaf parsley

Gremolata to serve:
finely grated lemon zest
finely chopped garlic
finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Dry the veal shanks with kitchen paper, then dredge into a seasoned flour (i.e. flour, salt, pepper) and shake of any excess flour.
Heat oil in a large saucepan and brown the shanks on a medium heat on both sides (about 8 minutes in total). Put the browned veal shanks aside (f.ex. on a deep plate).
Add onion, garlic, carrots, celery and a splash of water into the saucepan and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, until the onion softens.
Season with salt, add the chopped tomatoes, including the juices, and heat through.
Add wine and stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring slowly to the boil, cover the saucepan firmly with the lid, and simmer on a low heat for 1.5-2 hours, until the meat is really soft and tender.
(If you prefer, you can make your osso buco in the oven. 2-2.5 hours at 200C should suffice).

Sprinkle with gremolata or the mixture of finely chopped flat leaf parsley, garlic and lemon zest, and serve.

* Osso Buco also featured on Zarah Maria's list, and I'm keenly waiting to read about her version :)