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How to make Ossobuco
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Ossobuco

Ossobuco is a classic Italian comfort dish that brings warmth and richness to your table. Braised slowly until tender, the veal shanks soak up all the delicious flavors of the sauce, making every bite unforgettable. Whether you're serving it with creamy risotto, soft polenta, or crusty bread, this is a dish meant to be savored and shared.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings 3

Equipment

  • knife
  • Chopping-board
  • Large-sized bowl for peeled tomatoes
  • Tomato crusher (or your hands)
  • Larges-sized Dutch oven for simmering and braising
  • wooden spoon
  • Kitchen Tongs
  • Large-sized plate
  • Citrus peeler
  • Blender
  • Large-sized saucepan

Ingredients

  • 3 pcs veal shanks bone-in 1-inch (2.5 cm)
  • 30 g /1.06oz butter
  • Extra virgin olive oil EVOO
  • 1 carrot finely chopped
  • 1 large celery stalk finely chopped
  • ½ onion finely chopped
  • A bowl of all-purpose flour to coat the veal shanks
  • ½ glass /125ml white wine
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 400 g /14.1oz peeled tomatoes crushed (by hand or by using a tomato crusher)
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 4.2 cups /1L beef broth
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 cup of chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 cup corn flour for Polenta
  • 5 cups /1.2L water for polenta

Instructions

For the ossobuco:

  • Start by cutting into the nerves (edges) of the meat. You’ll want to make up to five cuts per piece.
  • In a large bowl crush your tomato using your hands or tomato crusher. Set this aside
  • Heat your Dutch oven on the stovetop on a medium-high heat setting.
  • Once sufficiently heated, melt the butter and 2 tablespoons of EVOO in your Dutch oven, then add the carrots, celery, and onion (soffritto). Cook for 10 minutes.
  • While the soffritto is cooking, lightly coat your veal shanks with flour.
  • Add up to 2 tablespoons of beef broth to the soffritto to help soften the ingredients then cover and allow to steam.
  • Now, using kitchen tongs add the meat to the Dutch oven (on top of the cooking soffritto) to caramelize it, 2-3 minutes on each side and in the meantime, add the white wine.
  • After about 5 minutes, remove the veal pieces and place them on a plate.
  • allow to simmer until wine evaporates then add the tomato paste and stir.
  • Next, add the crushed tomatoes and stir again to meld the ingredients together.
  • Sprinkle in a touch of salt and pepper then mix through and gently add the veal shanks back into the Dutch oven.
  • Lightly salt your veal shanks on each side (optional), then slowly add in the rest of the beef broth.
  • Cover the Dutch oven and simmer the osso buco for 1½ hours, turning the meat every 30 minutes to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
  • After an hour and a half, remove the lid to allow the sauce to reduce further (another 30 minutes).

For the Gremolada:

  • Start by removing the skin of the lemon with your peeler. Be sure not to take off all the white beneath the rind.
  • Add 3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the blender, along with the lemon skin and parsley.
  • Blend this together pushing down the mixture from the sides of the blender (as necessary) and blend again to make sure the lemon skin has broken down.
  • Remove the mixture and set aside on a plate to serve atop the meat.

For the Polenta:

  • Pour approx. 5 cups (1.2L) of water into a pot and heat on a high setting.
  • As the water is heating, slowly add the polenta, little by little. (The water does not have to be boiling).
  • Stir frequently as the mixture comes to a boil. This will prevent lumps so your polenta comes out creamy and smooth. Don’t stop stirring!
  • Let boil until the polenta thickens enough that it starts to “spit”.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste and continue to stir while adding just a little bit of extra virgin olive oil or butter (your choice!)
  • Once the polenta is ready, scoop a large spoonful onto a plate along with the ossobuco and its reduced sauce. Top with your gremolada…as much or as little as you like.

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