OSSOBUCO MILANESE (from Marcella Hazan)

“Ossobuco, in Milan’s dialect, means "bone with a hole". The particular bone in question is that of a calf’s hind shank, and the ring of meat that circles it is the sweetest and most tender on the entire animal.

Ingredients:

6 – 8 pieces of osso bucco (beef or venison work well for this recipe)

Salt and pepper

Flour

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 Tbsp butter

1 cup diced onion

2/3 cup diced carrot

2/3 cup diced celery

1 cup dry white wine

2 strips lemon zest

1 cup chicken stock

1 + 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

1 tsp fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

3 – 4 parsley sprigs

for gremolata

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1/4 tsp finely minced garlic

1 Tbsp minced Italian parsley

 

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly season the meat with salt and pepper, then flour both sides and brown in a skillet with very hot olive oil. Set the meat aside, discard most of the oil, deglaze the pan with 1 cup of white wine, and set it aside.

Add butter to an oven-proof pan with a tight-fitting lid (like a Le Creuset pan) large enough to hold the meat in a single layer, and saute the onion, carrot, and celery mixture for about 6 minutes, until translucent. Add the lemon peel and cook for a couple more minutes, then add the meat to the sauteed veggies, pour the wine from deglazing the skillet over it and add the stock, the tomatoes, bay leaves, and thyme.

Season with salt and pepper.

Bring the contents to a simmer, cover and transfer the pan to the oven. Let it cook for 2 – 3 hours (depending on the thickness of your shanks), until the meat is fork tender. If the pot gets too dry, add a few tablespoons of water. Add the gremolata on top of the meat and sauce a few minutes before serving, and don’t allow it to cook for a long time.