Osso Buco

Name: Osso Buco
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 4 center-cut slices veal shank, at least 2 pounds; Salt and black pepper to taste; 4 anchovy fillets, optional; 1 cup chopped onion; 1/2 cup chopped carrot; 1/2 cup chopped celery; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic; 2 bay leaves; 3 or 4 fresh thyme sprigs or 1/2 teaspoon dried; 1 cup dry white wine, chicken or beef stock, preferably homemade (page 160), or water; 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

December 14, 2011

One of the greatest Italian dishes and, when done properly (it takes time; do not rush), one of the best meat dishes you can make. The marrow-filled veal shanks (the name means “bone with hole”) practically cook themselves after the initial browning and seasoning. (And the dish holds well enough overnight so you can cook almost the whole thing in advance.) Buy center-cut shank, about 1 1/2 inches thick. (The slices from the narrow end have very little meat; those from the thick end contain little or no marrow.) The mixture of garlic, lemon zest, and parsley stirred in at the last minute, known as gremolata, is a lovely little fillip, but consider it optional. Serve, classically, with Risotto alla Milanese (page 521) or a simpler, leaner rice dish. Other cuts of meat you can use here: it will not be osso buco, but a veal stew made with chunks of veal shoulder in the same style, with the same ingredients, is quite good and considerably faster.

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