Braised osso buco with orange gremolata,a classic Italian recipe made of veal shanks slow cooked in tomato sauce. The orange gremolata is a wonderful burst of flavors and refreshing contrast to the hot tomato sauce.
I like to flavor it with orange gremolata which is a mix of parsley, orange zest and garlic, it is a wonderful burst of flavors and refreshing contrast to the hot tomato sauce. My favorite side dishes with osso buco are either polenta or any hollow pasta that fills with the delicious sauce like rigatoni, penne or best of all bucatini!
My recipe is easy to make, just add a layer of well spiced tomato sauce at the bottom of a baking or casserole pan, arrange the veal shanks, sprinkle a little more tomato sauce, some white wine, a few basil leaves or oregano and bake at 375°F (180°C) for about 1 hour or until fall of the bone tender, so good!
I like my osso buco slices rather thin like in Italy, no thicker than about 1 to 1.5 inches, that is when I can ask the butcher to cut them for me, in this case I count two pieces per person. When the veal shanks are already cut, they are generally much thicker, then I count one piece per person. I make a few cuts around in the connective tissues with kitchen shears to keep them flat while baking.
In general we eat the marrow spread on grilled toasts, I always push a thin slice of garlic into the marrow, the garlic will melt while baking, lending the marrow some additional flavors.
I like to keep it simple but you can add a few carrots, cremini mushrooms and/or celery if you prefer.
The gremolata is a mixture of parsley, garlic and lemon or orange zest (grated outer skin) mixed in olive oil, it is added on the veal shanks upon serving. The gremolata made with lemon zest is more traditional but I always make it with orange zest as I so like it this way, try both ways to decide which you prefer!
Osso buco can be served with any side dishes that are delicious with gravy or tomato sauce, like polenta, spaghetti, mashed potatoes. My preference goes to hollow pasta that will fill with the thick tomato sauce, rigatoni, penne or bucatini!
If you like this kind of recipe, you might be interested by my Beef Bacon Roll Ups, Marinara Sauce or my Green Cabbage and Beef Meatballs, click on my "Main Dishes" tag for more propositions.
48 oz. (3 pounds) (1.4 kg) veal shanks
24 oz. (680 g.) of your favorite tomato sauce
3/4 cup (150 ml) white wine
A few basil leaves or a pinch of oregano
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
A pinch of Cayenne
Gremolata:
4 tbsp. chopped parsley
Zest of 1 orange (outer skin grated)
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil (more if necessary)
Pre-heat your oven to 375°F (180°C) and prepare the osso buco, with kitchen shears make a few incisions in the connective tissues all around the veal shanks, that will help keeping them flat while baking. Push a thin slice of garlic into the marrow of each bone
Into a large baking or casserole pan, add a thick layer of tomato sauce, add the wine, salt and pepper to taste, a good pinch of Cayenne, sprinkle oregano or basil, give a good stir, arrange the veal shanks, cover with the rest of the tomato sauce, add salt and pepper again
Bake for about 1 hour and a half or until fall of the bone tender, basting from time to time, if you find that the osso buco is browning too fast, cover the pan with aluminum foil
Into the bowl of a food processor, add the parsley, orange or lemon zest, garlic and olive oil, process until thinly chopped, use a little bit more olive oil if necessary
Add a little bit of gremolata onto each veal shank just before serving
Serve with a few grilled toasts for the marrow if you like it and your favorite side!
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