Ossobuco Recipe

Servings: 4

Ossobuco is a recipe of Cucina Povera, the kitchen of the poor or peasant cooking. Veal shank is a cheap cut of meat, you braise it, slowly cooking it until tender and flavorful. I often prepare ossobuco with red wine and tomato and white beans. This Florentine style ossobuco is very simple to prepare and is prepared with white wine, fresh peeled tomatoes and stock. I serve this dish with polenta made to package directions but I cook in chicken bone broth or stock cut with water, 2 to 1 ratio. The dish is great served just with bread for mopping as well.

Recipe featured on Rachael Ray in Tuscany.

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh plum or vine ripe tomatoes
About 6 T EVOO
4 veal shank cut about 1 ½ inches thick, skin removed and meat pounded a bit with mallet
Salt and pepper
Flour for dredging
2 carrots, chopped
2 ribs of leafy celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 large bay leaf
2 cup white wine
2 cups veal stock or use a cup each of chicken and beef
2 cups water
OR use 1 1.5-ounce veal demi glace dissolved in 4 cups of water instead of the stock and water
Toasted bread, to spread the bone marrow on
Polenta cooked to package instructions, optional, to serve

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To peel tomatoes, bring a pot of water to low boil. Core the tomatoes and score the skins with an X. Place in water for 1 minute then transfer tomatoes to ice water to loosen skin. Remove skins and dice tomatoes. Set aside.

Heat a large deep cast iron skillet or brasier over medium heat with olive oil, about 3 T to coat the pan.

Season the veal with salt and pepper then dredge in flour and shake off excess. Add veal to the pan and brown for about 5 minutes on each side then remove to a platter. Add more oil, about 3 T, to the pan and then add the carrots, celery and onions, garlic and bay leaf. Season with a little salt and pepper to get them going and soften for 10 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes. Add wine and reduce by half, add stock and water or veal demi glace and water. Return veal shanks to the pan and cook in the oven for an hour and a half. Check on the veal occasionally. If the sauce thickens too much or the meat sticks a bit add a little more water.

Serve with toasted bread for spreading marrow on and polenta, optional.