How to Make Osso Buco for Two (For About Three Nights)

There’s really not much to do once all the stuff is in the pot. When you know how to make osso buco, you’ll make it a bunch this winter.

 Maybe it was the Julie and Julia hype, but we’ve taken a break from boeuf bourguignon and heavy beef stews made with red wine. Sometime they’re just too much. We love leftovers and we don’t look forward to digging this dish back out of the fridge. That’s a tell.

Osso Bucco is a nice alternative. It’s rich and succulent like beef stew, but not quite as weighty. And it’s easier to say and spell.

Veal shanks are like any other braising meat. Dredge them in flour, brown them in fat. Add some aromatic vegetables, wine, and herbs. Cover the pot and pop it in the oven for a couple of hours. While the stew cooks, stir up the gremolata — a mix of fresh parsley, lemon zest, and garlic, the other secret to lighten up a stew. Serve it all over risotto, wide egg noodles, polenta, or even grits. One big shank is more than plenty for one big appetite.

And the leftovers are even better.

Fresh parsley, garlic, and lemon zest make up the simple gremolata. A Microplane zester makes the zesting work easy. Sprinkle all this freshness over servings of the succulent Osso Bucco.

Osso Bucco

cheaters Osso Buco is like making veal shank pot roast. Beef Osso Bucco Veal Shanks European Print This

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 4 meaty big veal shanks
• Olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, somewhat drained
• 8 ounces whole small mushrooms, cremini, baby bella, or white
• gremolata

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350°F degrees.
Heat the oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add the veal and cook until browned all sides, about 10 minutes.
Remove the meat to a plate and set aside.
Add the onions, carrots, and garlic to the drippings in the pot and cook over medium heat until the onions are soft about 8 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring and cooking for about a minute or two.
Add the wine, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Bring to a boil and simmer about 5 minutes.
Add the veal to the pot.
Cover and place the pot in the oven and cook about 2 hours, or until the veal is fall-apart tender. Serve with polenta, risotto Milanese, rice, egg noodles, grits, or mashed potatoes.

Notes

For the gremolata: In a food processor combine 1/2 cup parsley leaves, 2 cloves garlic, the zest of one lemon, and salt to taste until finely chopped. Serve sprinkled over servings of Osso Bucco.