Osso Buco: Because You Asked For It...

I've made this NON-TRADITIONAL Osso Buco recipe a bunch of times. Just about every time I've made it, our guests have asked for the recipe. So, me posting this recipe is as much for the friends/bloggers who have requested as it is for my benefit (won't have to type it out or photocopy it ever again....YES!).

I'm posting this recipe without permission, so...it's from "The Olives Table" cookbook by Todd English and Sally Sampson. I suggest you go out and buy it (Hopefully, the free advertising will avoid litigation!)!.

By the way, we always write comments in the margins of the recipe after we've tried it. Here are the comments for this one:

March 12, 2004...For about the 4th or 5th time! I'm weeping...it's just soooo damn good!!!! (that's my comment)

Oh my God - WOW! Love it! Yum!!!! I live da'good life!!!!! (that's Mrs. TBF's comment)

So, 'nuff blathering...

Here's the recipe...from "The Olives Table" by Todd English (a studly guy and a great chef!) and Sally Sampson (an incredible package of looks and brains!):


Osso Buco of Veal (serves 4)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 x 14-ounce veal shanks (Kalbshaxen), cut 1.5 to 2 inches thick
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped slab bacon or chopped high-quality thick-sliced lean bacon

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 Spanish onion, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 stalks celery, cut into medium dice
2 leeks (white part only), well washed and chopped
2 cups roughly chopped shiitake mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried fennel seeds
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
(NOTE: Chopping this stuff with surgical precision - if you're like me - takes about an hour!)

3/4 cup dry white wine (I use dry vermouth...Noilly Prat)
1/2 cup good-quality dry sherry, such as Tio Pepe
4 cups chicken stock (I usually just use chicken bouillon cubes.)
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 425˚F/220˚C.

I combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large Ziploc bag, throw in the shanks, and give them a shake until they're all dusted.

Place a 14-inch straight-sided ovenproof saute pan or a 3-to-4-quart Dutch oven* over medium-high heat and when it is hot, add the oil. Add the veal shanks and cook until they are deeply golden on the bottom, about 3-5 minutes. Turn over and cook for about 2 minutes on the second side. Transfer the veal shanks to a plate.

Add the bacon to the pan and cook until it begins to render its fat, about 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic, onion, carrots, celery, leeks, mushrooms, rosemary, fennel seeds, and pepper flakes, stirring well after each addition, and cook for 10 minutes.

Return the shanks to the pan and add the wine and sherry. Spoon the vegetables over the veal and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and orange zest and bring to a low simmer (NOTE: Everything up to this point...excluding the chopping...takes about 30 minutes).

COVER and transfer to the oven. Roast for 2 hours.

Carefullly transfer the shanks (they'll be falling apart at this point) to a plate and return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the mustard and simmer for 10 minutes. Return the shanks to the pan and cook until heated through.

Serve immediately with basmati rice, Everyday Polenta (Do I need to type out that recipe too? Good grief!), or garlic mashed potatoes. Garnish with the parsley (Or, if you're like us most of the time, walk back into the kitchen after finishing the meal and stare like dorks at the little bowl of unused, chopped parsley.).

This is a great dish to serve when you're having people over for dinner because it just sits in the oven for two hours, and then there's only a minimum of last minute preparation. If you're not in Switzerland and your guests show up late, just leave the pot in the oven with the heat turned down to keep it warm...it'll be fine. Also, I like to do all the chopping of ingredients the day before and just put them in Tupperware containers in the fridge.

There you have it!

Damn! I'm feeling very Jamie Oliver right now!

Puck'ah!

*Not the kind of Dutch oven where you fart and pull the blankets over your spouse's head...sicko!