Tuesday, June 12, 2007

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 :)

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Pille, this looks fantastic! Well done in accomplishing in making it. I am trully inspired to make some myself. :)

Kalyn Denny said...

I think it sounds wonderful, and you are much better at getting these resolutions accomplished than I've been. I need to get working on my own list! Good job. I think you should be proud of your results, judging from the photo.

Anonymous said...

It looks just perfect! I love this...this is my brother's and my favorite dish from of my mom's :)

You are so good about keeping your resolutions!

Cerebrum said...

Is this a dare? Are you daring me? Are you? Huh?

Oh, wait. I guess I dared myself, didn't?

Yours look great - so can I just redo your recipe and say I completed one of my dares?;-)

Katie Zeller said...

It looks just perfect! It's been on my list for awhile, too. Now I'm inspired but it will have to wait until next winter. We're into 'summer' cooking right now.
If it can't be cooked on the barbecue....
I'll bookmark your page for then!

Ilva said...

Pille-I can't even REMEMBER what's on my list! I better take a look. I have on the other hand made something this year that I was supposed to dare to do last year but didn't...

Anonymous said...

This looks great, I ate veal for the first time while I was on holiday but I'm not sure it was a great example. Perhaps I'll add it to my list too!

Anonymous said...

love osso buco, one of my hubby's favorite. I use lamb shanks though I know veal is the tradition. And the gremolata...yum!

Anonymous said...

Pille: It looks great! I can also tick of some of my resolutions, but unfortunately I havn't blogged about them yet.

Shayne said...

I made Osso Buco for the first time last winter and I loved it and the leftovers made a wonderful sauce for pasta the next day. I will have to make it again when it is not 90 degrees out. yours looks great!

Shayne

Patricia Scarpin said...

My husband would eat the whole thing in a matter of seconds! :)

Shaun said...

Pille - Osso buco is the best braised meat dish in the world. Well, I haven't tried any better. Yours looks incredibly succulent. Gremolata is fantastic because its freshness and piquancy acts as a foil to the sweetness of the braised meat and vegetables. If you have not yet tried it with risotto milanese, I suggest that you try it. It just pairs so well with the veal.

Can you believe I once made this dish the night before moving, whilst boxing and painting walls? I can't believe I did it, but it was worth it to have a soulful meal in the midst of a heart-breaking move.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately brits do not sell veal shanks, they believe that killing calves is not ethical.

Manuel said...

looks so tasty. I rarely trust the Daily Mail but I will give that a go...

Huzzah for Pille!

Anonymous said...

Bravissima, Pille!

Your osso buco looks absolutely delicious and I'd love to dip my bread into that sauce!

Helene said...

Osso Buco is my dad's signature dish and I miss it so muc. Yours look so good it make we want to fly over with my plate and my fork!

Bonnie said...

A stew at this time of year? It mustn't be so hot over where you are... I couldn't even contemplate.

Ah well, a resolution is a resolution after all...

Valentina said...

Pille, this looks delicious! You have most certainly looked round for your recipe. I haven't had ossobuco in a long time.And I have never cooked it myself.

Ing. said...

Osso buco on Milaano eriroog (leiab ka lähilinnadest, aga mujal Itaalias seda ei valmistata). Kaste muuseas pole tükiline , st on püreestatud (tavaliselt püreestatakse seller, sibul, porgand enne lisamist juba ära, ämm aga nt on mul laisk ja teeb kastmed nii, et lihstalt viskab terve porgandi(d), selleri(d) ja sibula(d) sisse ja enne serveerimist kougib välja (tema sugo'd on ülekõige) või nii kaua podisenud, et närimiseks ei kõlba. U"ks mu lemmik liharoogadest siin, Samas olen ma vaid paar korda saanud seda kõigekõige paremat.

Pille said...

Mae - it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Maybe it was just beginner's luck, who knows:)

K&S - thank you!

Kalyn - I was pleased with my osso buco indeed:)

Joey - I remember reading about it in your blog - it's a great dish, isn't it?

Zarah Maria - me? daring you? I have noooooooooo idea what you're talking about;)

Katie - yep, summer cooking is du jour at the moment:) But try it in the autumn, please!

Ilva - I'm sure I have food promises lurking somewhere made in 1997:)

Ginger - you should definitely add it to your list of veal dishes - it was really succulent, tender and sweet!

Veron - I cannot remember whether lamb shanks were available in the butcher shop, but will keep my eyes open. I can imagine it'd taste nice. Would you use the classic gremolata with lamb, too, or would you use a different herb instead of parsley?

Dagmar - looking forward to reading about them all when you've got time to blog about them.

Shayne - well, when I made it in early May, it was still cool enough to eat it. I'll wait until early autumn before making it again.

Patricia - you have one ravenous hubby then!

Shaun - so you'll be making osso buco whenever you're about to move again? LOL:) I'll try it with risotto milanese next time, I promise!

Ülle - ega Sa vist briti supermarketitest vasikakoote leia, pead lihapoodidest otsima.

Manuel - note that Daily Mail cookbook wasn't my primary source - but the book did contain a helpful tip or two:)

Ivonne - grazie!

Helen - thank you for the compliments!

Bonnie - I wouldn't contemplate making osso buco now - it's been really warm for the last 3 weeks or so, but mid-May was still nice and cool. I'm just way behind with blogging about this stew:)

Valentina - it's definitely worth trying once autumn arrives again - deliciously heart-warming!

Ing. - suured tänud juhtnööride ja täpsustuste eest. Kui ma n-ö researchi tegin, siis nägin nii tükilisi kui ka püreestatud versioone, viimaseid küll enam. Ma isegi korra mõtlesin püreestamise peale, aga kuna porgandikuubikud nägid nii kenad välja, siis jätsin niisama. Järgmisel korral üritan autentsem olla. Veel kord suur aitäh Sulle!