Osso Buco

(Serves 6)

Ingredients

• 1 kg shin of veal sawed into pieces about 4 cms (1½ inches) thick
• seasoned flour
• 3 carrots
• 2 sticks celery
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 50g butter
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
• 225 mls dry white wine
• 225 mls beef stock
• 400g tin tomatoes
• salt and black pepper
• castor sugar
• 2 level tablespoons lemon zest
• 5 tablespoons chopped parsley
• ½ teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme
• 3 bay leaves

Method

Preheat oven to 180° C. Choose a heavy bottom pan that can accommodate all the veal shanks in one layer.

Finely chop the carrot, onion and celery and place into the pan. Sauté for about 6 minutes until the onions are glossy. Add the chopped garlic and lemon zest and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and put sautéd vegetables into large, covered casserole which is big enough to accommodate the shins later on.

Pour vegetable oil into the heavy bottomed pan and turn heat to high. Flour the veal shanks, coating them all over, shaking off the excess flour. When the oil is hot, slip in the shanks and brown them all over. When browned, remove them from the pan and stand each piece on its edge on top of the sautéed vegetable mix in the casserole. (Placing them this way prevents the marrow falling out during cooking).

Deglaze the pan with the wine and stock. Add the chopped tomatoes and their juice, the thyme, bay leaves, parsley and pepper and salt to taste. Pour over the meat, place the lid on the casserole and place into pre-heated oven for about 2 hours. Turn and baste the meat about every ½ hour. At the end of the cooking time, the meat should be very tender.

Remove the meat from the casserole and reduce the cooking liquid. Disperse the cooking vegetables in the sauce and, if you prefer, add the marrow from the bones, which will have almost come away from the meat during the cooking process. Place the meat, from which you may have removed the bones, back into the casserole dish and pour over the sauce.

At this stage, the casserole could be cooled and reheated later. When heated and ready to serve sprinkle over a garnish of finely chopped garlic, parsley and lemon zest, an aromatic mixture which Italians call Gremolada. This is traditionally served with Risotto Milanese.

Suggested Wines to Go With Today's Recipe

Italian Style Reds

Chianti Castiglioni '04

Villa Cilivia '97

Ornellaia '03

Via Alto Di Sotto '03

Herzog Montepulciano '03