So, winter is basically here, and that means it is really cold pretty much every day. This is a major shock to the system, especially since we’ve only been back from Florida for four days, and when we left two weeks ago I could still run out to the grocery store in a t-shirt without getting side-eyed.
This also means that it is time to make as many warm, rustic, homey meals as humanly possible, because that’s just what you do when it’s dark when you wake up, and dark when you get home from work (said the stay at home mom). Osso Bucco is one of Bo’s favorites, and ridiculously enough, one that I hadn’t made since we moved into the house from the condo. Seeing as it’s insanely easy to make, I’m annoyed with myself too.
The recipe I use is straight out of Leiths Cookery Bible. There are a bunch of Leiths cookbooks out there, and I’m happy to say that I own most of them. This one though, the Cookery Bible, it was my first of the set, and it has never let me down. It is full of classic meals with straight forward and simple instructions. Everything that I have made from this book has turned out incredibly well, and I highly recommend it to everyone. Christmas is coming too, this is a good gift! Forget “The Joy of Cooking”, give this to someone moving out on they’re own and they’ll impress a lot more people in the kitchen. It’s not in print right now either, so get this one while you still can!
Ok, enough about the cookbook (but it really sucks that it’s getting hard to find). On to the actual recipe!
Classic Osso Bucco
Ingredients
- 4 large meaty pieces of knuckle of veal (veal shanks), cut crossways with the bone and marrow in the center
- 3 tbsp good-quality olive oil
- 1 large onion, finally chopped
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 tsp flour
- 2 tsp tomato purée
- 340g / 12 oz ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 150ml / ¼ pint dry white wine
- 290ml / ½ pint chicken stock (veal stock would be fantastic, so if you have it, use it!)
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 bouquet garni (a sprig each of fresh parsley and thyme, 1 stick of celery and 1 bay leaf, tied together with string)
To garnish: Gremolata
- 1 tbl chopped fresh parsley
- Zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Put 1 tbsp of the oil into a saucepan, add the onion and carrot, cover with a well-fitting lid. Cook over low heat without browning until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- Brown the meat on all sides, one or two pieces at a time, in the remaining tbsp of oil in a large saucepan. Remove to a plate as they are browned.
- When all are done, sprinkle the flour into the pan and stir well. Add the tomato purée, cooked vegetables, tomatoes, wine, stock, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.
- Replace the veal, immerse the bouquet garni in the liquid, and cover the pan. Simmer for 1½ hours, or until the veal is very tender but not quite falling off the bone.
- Take the veal out and place on a serving platter with a fairly deep lip. Cover with kitchen foil and keep warm while you boil the sauce rapidly until it's thick. Stir frequently and watch that it does not catch and burn at the bottom.
- Remove the bouquet garni. Push the sauce through a sieve and boil until syrupy. Pour over the meat. Sprinkle with the gremolata (parsley and grated lemon zest that have been mixed together).
Notes
Recipe from "Leiths Cookery Bible" by Prue Leith and Caroline Waldegrave
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Tabatha