This is one of my favourite comfort slow-cooking dishes.
Serves 4.
Ingredients
4 Veal shanks, cut thick 3-4 inches
Salt
Pepper
¼ cup of olive oil
½ red onion, chopped medium
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 stalk of celery, cleaned and chopped
2 tablespoons of chopped thyme
2 cups of white wine (dry, nothing sweet)
3 cups tomato sauce
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup chopped parsley , and lemon zest mixed
Directions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Season the veal with salt and pepper. In a large cast-iron casserole dish, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the veal and cook over moderately high heat, turning until browned all over, about 12 minutes. Transfer the veal to a plate.
Step 2
Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the casserole. Add the onion, carrot, celery and thyme and cook over moderate heat, stirring until softened. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer until the wine is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Return the shanks to the casserole, cover and braise in the oven for 2 hours and 15 minutes, until the meat is very tender. Let stand covered for 10 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, toss the parsley with and lemon zest and season the gremolata with salt and pepper.
Step 4
Transfer the veal shanks to a platter. Season the osso buco sauce with salt and pepper and spoon it over the veal. Sprinkle some gremolata over the osso buco and serve with the polenta or buttered pappardelle.