Osso Buco

Osso Buco is a dish that I’ve had only a couple of times, you don’t see it on a lot of Italian restaurant menus. It is a Italian comfort food, and it is delicious. So I decided I need to make this at home, and probably add it to the rotation of Italian dishes I make.

What is Osso Buco - It is a veal shank that is braised in a delicious beef broth for a couple of hours. Once the meat is done, it is so tender. You then take the broth liquid and you reduce it down for a silky, complex, flavor explosion of a sauce that you ladle on top of the meat. But you don’t do this before you have a side on the plate to accompany this dish. The three most common sides are saffron risotto, creamy polenta, and mashed potatoes, in that order.

Osso Buco sounds like a complicated dish, but its not. This was my first time making it, and it reminded me a lot of makin a Bolognese. There’s prep work and then you only have to wait, and time will take care of the rest. You start with the same trilogy of onions, carrots and celery. You use white wine for deglazing the pan, you add tomato paste, and then beef broth with some bay leaves, and other herbs if you like, its that simple.

Once you’ve had this dish, you will seek it out and you may even want to make it at home.

• So you know, Its not always easy to find veal shank, you can substitute with beef shank. The key is that you use the shank, bone in with that bone marrow in the center.

Finished Dish

Searing the veal shanks

Seared Veal Shanks

Veggies

Adding White Wine