How to Cook Osso Buco

Serves: 4-6

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients needed to make Osso Buco:

• 3 lb veal shanks
• ¼ lb pancetta, chopped into ¼’’ dices
• 1 onion, chopped into 1/4’’ chunks
• ½ cup celery, chopped into ¼’’ chunks
• ½ cup carrot, chopped into ¼’’ chunks
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• All purpose flour, for dusting

For the gremolata:

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
• 1 tbsp lemon zest, grated
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, minced

Cooking instructions for Osso Buco:

• Warm up your oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place a Dutch oven on a stove top and heat it over moderate flame.
• Throw in the pancetta and sauté them for about 5 minutes, stirring at times, until they turn crispy golden brown and most of its fat melts.
• Drain it out using a slotted spoon, into a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
• Skim off most of the rendered fat from the pan, leaving only a couple of tbsp in it.
• Rub a dash of seasonings all over the meat and dust it with flour.
• Shake off any excess flour and toss them into hot Dutch oven.
• Brown the meat over moderately high heat for about 5 minutes and flip it over to cook the other side similarly.
• Drain them out onto a plate and keep aside until required.
• Throw in the veggies into the same pan and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions turn lucid.
• Stir in the garlic and crush the dried thyme into the mixture.
• Sauté further for another 10 minutes, stirring often and return the meat back to the pan.
• Add the pancetta and stir in a splash of white wine.
• Pour in the broth and continue to cook the sauce until it starts simmering.
• Place a lid on top and place in the oven to roast for an hour or until the meat is cooked through.
• To make the gremolata, toss all its ingredients together and set aside.
• Pour the osso buco in a large serving bowl and sprinkle the gremolata on top.
• Serve hot alongside polenta or risotto.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons