Osso Buco

The chef bought all the ingredients and I made Osso Buco tonight. It’s a great dish for a Sunday, because it takes a while to cook, so you can start it mid-afternoon.

This recipe is adapted from The American Heart Association Cookbook and is easy to make, despite the fairly long list of ingredients. I do the browning and cooking all in the same large iron casserole dish, which reduces the cleanup.

My version of the cookbook is quite old, but you should be able to find a newer edition.

• 4 veal shanks (1″ thick) with bone, about 2¾ lbs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 carrot grated
• ½ large onion, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 19 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp basil
• ½ tsp oregano
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 strips lemon zest, 1½” x ½”
• 1 cup beef broth
• ½ cup dry white wine
• Rice

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. On stovetop, over medium high heat, brown veal shanks in  1 tbsp oil, in a large skillet.
3. Remove the veal shanks to a plate.
4. Add remaining oil to the skillet and sauté carrot, onion, celery and garlic until wilted, about 4 minutes.
5. Place vegetables in large heavy casserole dish, and place meat on top of vegetables.
6. Add tomatoes, spreading evenly over the veal.
7. Add bay leaves, thyme, basil, oregano, pepper and lemon zest.
8. Add broth and wine.
9. Cover and bake 1½ to 2 hours, until meat is tender and sauce is thickened. If necessary, add more water during the cooking, to prevent meat from drying out.
10. Serve over rice.

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