The Mighty Osso Bucco

I’ve decided to have an outrageously meaty moment for my Sunday. So here I am making the greatest Italian dishes which I personally love it! The mighty Osso Bucco. What is it? Literally translates as bone's hole is simply an inch & a half slab of veal shank. There is a good amount of tough meat surrounding a large flat piece of bone with ample amount of rich marrow in the center. So when we cook it, the marrow melts into the sauce leaving an open whole in the center, thus the name Osso Buco. Also, Osso Bucco is Italian for ‘bone with hole’.  

You’ll need to cook it slowly though, it takes time and gentle cooking to release their succulence. End result, this meaty bone pieces is a stellar which give this dish such robust flavour. I like to have it with polenta…some do have it with pasta or potato.

Ladled into a bowl of wet polenta to soak up the rich sauce. It’s a good stewy dish! There are a hundred different variations of Osso Bucco, mostly braised. This one is simply with the tomatoes.

Ingredients:

3-4 pieces of osso buco (veal shank)

2 carrots, chopped finely

1 onion, chopped finely

couple cloves of garlic, smashed 

bay leaf

any aromatics you like - i prefer rosemary

a little flour for dusting

salt & pepper

a good handful  of canned tomatoes, skins removed or fresh tomatotes with skins & seeds removed

olive oil

butter

half a cup of water or stock

Methods:

Salt & pepper the veal shank & then dredge in the flour. On medium-high heat, add olive oil & a pad of butter. Sauté the veal shank or  osso bucco for 2 minutes on each side.

Then add the vegetables & continue cooking the osso buco, turning frequently until it is nice & colored. Add the stock and cook until the stock is reduced by 2/3

Add the tomatoes, rosemary, pepper & salt, water or stock & bring up to a simmer.

Remove from stove & place in a 350 degree oven, uncovered for about an hour & half or until the centers of the bone have melted away & the meat is falling away from the bone. If you need to add a little more water or stock towards the end, do so

Serve over polenta, potatoes or rice to soak up the juices. This is one of my favorite dishes because it is lip smackingly delicious.