Easy Osso Buco

Anybody who thinks they can’t cook can braise meat. Therefore osso buco is easy,
Sounds impressive, really not so much.  Preparation time is around 35-40 minutes, however you can take short cuts.  For instance, use a food processor to chop vegetables or use canned stocks. These days you can buy your veggies already chopped. Crying in the kitchen is a thing of the past, if not, have a glass of wine before you add it to the recipe.

This recipe can be made on a weeknight with rice, a salad and your done. I would imagine you could prep up until the entrée into the oven and use your slow cooker and return home  to a complete meal. All you need is a rice cooker with a timer, salad in a bag - presto, however doing the dishes: mandatory. Don’t we have children for that?

Read the instructions to the end prior to making your shopping list. Being the type A that I am I have started recipes, and other things I won’t go into, without reading the directions first. Fatal flaw. I have paid dearly for that, including trashing a cassoulet recipe I tried at least eight years ago that was so…well, I haven’t had the courage to attempt it again.

 

1.. Heat things up: set the oven to 350 degrees. Place an oven safe dutch oven on top of the stove, which means a dutch oven (big stew pot) that can go into the oven with its lid on and won’t melt or give off any toxic fumes to infuse your meal with something you didn’t intend. Examples of these would be some types of Calphalon or Le Creuset: it’s always good to ask advice or read the manual prior to setting the kitchen a flame. Don’t use the glass of wine to extinguish the flames. Never a good idea to waste a glass of wine, Put one fourth to one half good quality olive oil and one stick of butter into your ‘certified’ oven safe dutch oven and melt to combine. Turn down heat until you’re ready to add the veal shanks.

2. Dredge: You are going to need approximately six pounds of veal shanks, a Ziploc  bag or better yet how about a paper bag, one and a half of unbleached flour, about a half of a teaspoon of salt and pepper. Take the bag put the flour, salt and pepper inside and combine. Add the veal shanks, close the bag and mix gently to coat the outside of the veal shanks with the flour.  Now spark up the heat on that dutch oven to hot, heat the oil and butter up. Place the veal shanks in and pay attention. Sear the sides until they are a golden brown. Then remove to a plate with a paper towel for draining off the excess reserving the left over oil and butter in the pan.

3. Sauté, Sauté:  This is the best part, put three, chopped, onions into the pot, and sauté about five minutes until translucent. Add eight chopped garlic cloves, sauté for an additional 3 minutes now add one half of a teaspoon each of dried basil, thyme, and oregano. Mix and sauté for three more minutes. Add twenty-eight ounces of good quality crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer for ten minutes.

4. Red wine:  Add two cups of each beef stock, merlot, and vegetable stock (roasted if you can find it) simmer for ten more minutes.

5. It’s time:  Add the shanks making sure they are covered with the liquid, place in the oven, covered, for ninety minutes.  Remove the lid and cover for an additional thirty minutes until tender. Garnish as desired.

 

That’s it. Prepare your chopped veggies, spices, stocks and wine ahead of starting and it will all go very quickly. The oven does the rest. The smells wafting through the house when the kids come home from school, as they hit the doorway their feet will lift off the floor with their noses pointed to the ceiling floating gleefully toward the kitchen. Works every time.

Shopping list:

1 cup unbleached flour
salt
pepper
1/4-1/2 olive oil
1 stick of butter
3 onions chopped
8 chopped garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon dried:
basil
oregano
thyme
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
2 cups:
merlot
beef stock
veggie stock (preferably roasted vegetable)

serve with:
brown rice
spring lettuce mix