Osso Buco Recipe with White Beans
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Veal Osso Buco, featuring fall off the bone meat, with just enough sauce made rich with plum tomatoes, white wine and broth, is Italian comfort food classic.
Osso Buco is Italian for bone with a hole. The bone marrow is cross cut and is typically made with veal. Originating in Milan and the Lombardy Region of Italy, osso buco showcases their culinary genius, transforming modest cuts of meat into long-standing recipes.
In its earliest version, osso buco was made with butter, onion, white wine and broth, using very typical ingredients found in many northern Italian dishes. Tomatoes are now part of a more modern recipe, and I think adds to its heartiness.
What is Osso Buco?
Basically ossobuco is a meat shank (usually veal) which used to be a very inexpensive cut with the bone marrow cut crosswise (thus, bone with a hole).
Osso buco requires a long braise in a tomato broth with vegetables. In this recipe, I served it with creamy white beans (it was New Year’s Day), but it’s most often served with risotto ala Milanese and topped with gremolata to cut through the richness.
Eat the Marrow
The marrow is considered a delicacy and is especially good with bread or eaten on a spoon. I recommend crusty bread like my sourdough to enjoy every bit of the sauce and marrow.
Why This Dish is Represents Italian Values
- Italians are known to take modest, humble cuts of meat to create spectacular gourmet recipes. Peasant food achieves elevation and Osso buco is now a proudly recognized Italian National Dish.
- Italians are known to respect the whole animal, wasting nothing, even bone marrow.
- Italians not only embrace slow food, Italians embrace eating ingredients which can be locally sourced, which is why the menu changes often radically in each region of Italy.
The History
The first mention of osso buco found its way in cookbooks in the mid to late 1800’s, particularly Pellegrino Artusi (1891) which helped it become a national Italian dish.
What Kind of Meat is Used in Osso Buco?
Veal is most often used, but other choices could include beef or pork shanks. This time, I served with cannellini beans, put in the pot at the last twenty minutes.
Top with Gremolata
Gremolata is a mixture of chopped parsley, garlic, lemon zest and salt. It brightens up the dish and cuts through the richness.
Other Hearty Italian Dishes You May Like
- What is Bolognese? Answers to all your questions.
- Ground Beef Stuffed Peppers
- Italian Meatball Soup
- Braciole – Italian Rolled Steak
- Beef Stock and Roasted Bones
- Beef and Veal Stew Shepherds Pie
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Osso Buco
Ingredients
- 1 cup onion
- 2/3 cup carrot finely chopped
- 2/3 cup celery finely chopped
- 4 T butter
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 4 veal shanks
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup meat broth
- 1 large can San Marzano tomatoes coarsely chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- several sprigs fresh thyme
- several sprigs parsley
- freshly ground pepper
- sea salt
Gremolata
- 1 handful parsley
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon garlic clove
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F, for two to three hours of braising
- Pat Veal shanks dry. Season with salt and pepper. Coat veal in flour, and when pan is hot, brown veal on both sides in separate frying pan.
- Choose heavy pot (dutch oven with lid) to cook vegetables, which can be put in oven.
- Heat butter in dutch oven. Saute onion, carrot, lemon zest, celery on medium heat, 8-10 minutes. Then add garlic and cook a few more minutes.
- Once vegetables are done, stir in white wine and cup of broth. Cook on low for ten minutes to cook off alcohol.
- Add in tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. You want the veal to be covered 2/3 in broth.
- Add in veal shanks. Cover and braise for 2-3 hours, until fork tender.
- Serve with a garnish of gremolata.
Gremolata
- Chop together, parsley, garlic, lemon zest and add in sea salt.
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