Osso Buco

Ingredients

• 4 cross-cut veal shanks, 400 g each, tied with kitchen twine
• 60 ml extra virgin olive oil, first cold-pressed
• 100 g yellow onion, medium dice
• 80 g carrot, medium dice
• 60 g celery, medium dice
• 200 ml dry white wine, Pinot Grigio or Vermentino
• 400 g San Marzano DOP tomatoes, canned, whole
• 500 ml veal stock, homemade preferred
• 4 g sea salt
• 2 g Tellicherry black pepper, freshly ground
• 30 g fresh parsley, flat-leaf, leaves chopped
• 10 g lemon zest, Sicilian lemon, finely grated

Method

1. 1
   Pat veal shanks dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. 2
   Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed braising pot over medium-high heat; brown shanks on all sides (3 minutes per side), then remove and set aside.
3. 3
   In the same pot, sauté diced onion, carrot, and celery until softened and caramelized (8 minutes), stirring occasionally.
4. 4
   Deglaze with white wine, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon until reduced by half (3 minutes).
5. 5
   Return veal shanks to pot, add San Marzano tomatoes (crushed by hand) and veal stock; bring to a simmer, then cover and braise in a 160°C oven for 2 hours, turning shanks halfway through.
6. 6
   Remove from oven; check that meat is fork-tender and pulls cleanly from the bone.
7. 7
   Combine chopped parsley and lemon zest to form gremolata; sprinkle over each shank and braise liquid just before serving with risotto or creamed polenta.