OSSO BUCO (Braised Beef Shanks)
When I was growing up, our household was filled with all kinds of celebrations. My mom loved to have people over and cook for them. She taught me how to cook from a pretty young age; like most kids, I started out learning how to make scrambled eggs. This recipe was the first “grown-up dish” I learned how to make. Traditionally, osso buco is made with veal, but my mom always made it with cross-cut beef shanks. Beef shanks are considered a lesser cut, but they have connective tissue and are good for you and more affordable than other cuts. I love it when people come back to my booth after I’ve given them a cut of meat—like beef shanks—and a recipe, and they say, “Wow, it really wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be, and it came out so good.” Those kinds of things make me happy.
Ingredients
- 4 cross-cut bone-in beef shanks (2½ pounds)
- ⅓ cup flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 pieces of lemon peel
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups dry white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
- 2 cups veal, chicken or vegetable stock
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
Instructions
- Dredge shanks in flour, coating well.
- Heat oil and butter in a large, heavy pot over medium to medium-high heat.
- Add shanks, 1 or 2 at a time, and brown on all sides.
- Add additional oil if needed.
- Remove meat and set aside.
- Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to pot.
- Stir until onions are tender but not brown.
- Put browned meat on top of the vegetables.
- Add lemon peel, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Combine tomato paste, wine, and stock. Pour over meat and vegetables.
- Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for 4–6 hours, or until meat is very tender.
- Discard lemon peel and bay leaf.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
- Garnish with parsley and grated lemon rind.
- Serve over rice or noodles.
Notes
Leslie Cronquist is the owner of L Bell Ranch—a small family ranch located in Skull Valley. Cronquist’s grass-fed cows are raised with no hormones, no antibiotics, and no feeds other than pasture grass with hay forage added in the winter. Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/lbellranch
