Osso Buco
Italian classic osso buco recipe of veal shanks cooked in a tomato and white wine sauce. The veal is gently braised in the sauce which equals meat so tender, you could eat it with a spoon!
OK so bare with me! It can be hard to try and make slow cooked meals actually look good on a plate. I can assure you that It’s all about the taste with this one.
Seriously, What could be more comforting than a delicious bowl of Osso Buco? I’d say not much!
Just recently my husband, Joe and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. I had my in-laws over for dinner and I decided to make this Osso Buco recipe. It was definitely a hit with the adults and the kids. My daughter Olive had 3 helpings. So it was only fitting that this be my next post!
Why I love osso bucco
Osso buco is such a humble dish. It’s a great hearty meal using minimal ingredients to create something really special.
It’s one of those classic recipes that’s always going to be a crowd pleaser just like chicken cacciatore or creamy pumpkin soup.
What is Osso Buco?
OK so let’s start at the beginning. Osso Buco literally means bone with a hole. Traditionally osso buco is made with veal, cut into thick steaks from the shank. It’s then cooked on low heat on the stovetop in a tomato and white wine sauce until its literally falling off the bone.
That bone is what makes Osso Buco so special because it is filled with that fascinating marrow. It’s a love or hate thing as to whether you slurp out that delicate marrow or pass it up to someone else.
How do you serve osso buco
Osso buco was traditionally served with a risotto Milanese which is made with saffron. I love to serve it with creamy garlic polenta or with white crusty bread and some delicious greens.
What meat is used for osso buco?
As I mentioned above, traditionally osso buco is made with veal from the shank which is thickly cut into steaks.
Although the veal shanks are a bit more expensive, veal is tender and very flavoursome.
If your butcher is running low on the veal don’t worry because beef shanks will still do the trick. You will still end up with a lovely tender rustic meal.
What you will need!
- Plain Flour
- Veal osso buco (use beef as a substitute)
- Olive oil
- Onion, carrot, celery, zucchini, garlic (The basics to form the base of the dish)
- Parsley, oregano and bay leaves to add extra flavour
- White wine: Preferably a dry wine but you can use a sweeter wine if you already have that open.
- Chicken stock; albeit a veal dish my Nonna always used chicken stock when making osso buco. The combination of flavours really work.
- Crushed tomatoes
How to make this osso buco recipe
First we need to coat the veal in flour. I find the easiest way to do this is to use a zip lock bag. Place the flour along with salt and pepper in a zip lock bag. Add veal to the bag in batches and shake well until the meat is coated in the flour mixture. Remove and repeat with remaining veal.
Heat of the oil in a heavy casserole dish over medium heat. Add the osso buco and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Do this in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding the pot. remove from pan and set aside.
Add remaining oil to the pot along with the onion, carrot, celery and zucchini. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
Add garlic, parsley, oregano and bay leaves and cook for a further minute before adding the wine, stock and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer.
Return the osso buco to the pan. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid the meat sticking to the bottom. It’s ready when the meat is falling off the bone.
Serve with creamy polenta or crunchy white bread
****NOTE you can easily make this in your slow cooker. Just follow steps 1-4 and then transfer the sauce to your slow cooker along with the osso buco and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is falling off the bone. ****
What to do with leftovers!
If you are lucky enough to have any osso buco left over, it actually makes for an amazing flavoursome base. Just shred the leftover meat, discard the bones and use the sauce to create new and exciting dishes.
Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing:
- Use the sauce as a stock for risotto and stir in the shredded meat at the end.
- Serve the sauce with your favourite pasta such as Pappardelle or fettuccini
- As a base for shepherds pie
Below is what I made with the leftovers; it was just as good if not even better than the osso buco itself because you know what, it tastes even better the next day!
I placed the leftover osso buco in a medium pot along with some extra water and brought it to the boil. Then I added a packet of orecchiette pasta and cooked the pasta according to the packet instructions. I love how the pasta soaks up a lot of that wonderful sauce and leaves you with a kind of pasta, kind of soupy dish.
Top it with parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil and dinner is done in 20 minutes!
Can osso buco be made ahead?
It sure can be made ahead which makes for a great weeknight meal as all you have to do is reheat it. While the osso buco is heating up make your polenta and dinner is done!
As I mentioned it tastes even better the next day!!
Enjoy XXX
If you are still hungry here are a few more recipes you may like!
- Chicken cacciatore
- Spaghetti and meatballs
- Fragrant yellow curry
- Spaghetti bolognese
- Chicken and Vegetable pie
Osso Buco
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain all purpose flour
- 2 kg Veal osso buco (use beef osso buco if veal not available)
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 carrot finely diced
- 1 stick celery finely diced
- 1 zucchini finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic peeled, left whole
- small bunch flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- 1 tbs oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup white wine
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 400 g can crushed tomatoes
Instructions
- Place flour along with salt and pepper in a zip lock bag. Add veal in batches and shake well until the meat is coated in the four mixture. Remove and repeat with remaining veal.
- Heat 1tbs of the oil in a heavy casserole dish over medium heat. Add the osso buco and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Do this in batches if needed. remove from pan and set aside.
- Add remaining oil to the pot along with the onion, carrot, celery and zucchini. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
- Add garlic, parsley, oregano and bay leaves and cook for a further minute before adding the wine, stock and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer.
- Return the osso buco to the pan. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid the meat sticking to the bottom. It's ready when the meat is falling off the bone.
- Serve with creamy polenta or crunchy white bread
OMG. This dish looks so yummy and healthy. I’ll definitely try this recipe someday. Thank you so much for sharing!
This recipe sounds delicious; I can’t wait to try it. I love making meals with braised meats that I can put together and let roast in the oven for hours while I get other things done (and the house fills with delicious smells).
Thank-you Alexis I totally agree!!!