Osso buco
========= 2024-01-05 *


Comment: Use preferably veal shanks with the bone. Possibly add an extra marrow bone.
Depending on the meat, it should be cooked between 1h30 (veal) and 4h00 (very old veal!). Therefore it is better to cook this dish the day before and reheat it the day after. As with all simmered dishes, they are best reheated.
Rosemary can lose its leaves while cooking, so tie it in a thin layer of gauze.
To cook, it can be simmered on the stove or in the oven at 180C.
Orange peels are optional but add an original touch.
Often served with a gremolata, this one is quickly prepared: 10 to 12 g of chopped parsley, the zest of a lemon (microplane), a clove of garlic finely chopped or grated and a pinch of salt.
Flouring the meat before browning it will help thickening the sauce.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
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3 to 4 veal or beef shanks ~4 cm thick (~1.4 kg)

2 to 3 carrots, in sticks
1 turnip or 1/2 celery, in sticks
1 to 2 branches celeri (opt)
1 large onion, chopped or sliced
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2.5 dl red wine for beef or dry white wine for veal
3+ dl veal stock
2 cloves
2 to 3 orange peels (3 to 4 cm long, taken with a peeler)
1 bouquet garni: celery (leaves), bay leaf (1 fresh, 2 dry), thyme (1 to 2 sprigs), rosemary (1 sprig), some parsley stems (opt).
2 good tablespoons of tomato puree
1 pinch of sugar
Roasting oil
Flour
EVOO
S + P


Preparation:
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Cut the outer membrane in 1 or 2 places, and possibly tie with a string so the meat does not fall apart while cooking (if the slices are thick).
Salt and lightly flour the meat and brown it on both sides in hot oil (possibly in 2 or 3 batches), set aside.
Deglaze with the wine, reduce a little, then reserve it with the meat.

Reduce the heat and sweat the onion in a little EVOO, then the vegetables, then add the garlic.
Add the tomato puree, the stock, the sugar, the bouquet garni, and the orange peels.
Heat and add the meat.  
Add a little water to cover if necessary, which will evaporate as it cooks.
Simmer, covered, for 1.5 to 3 hours, until the meat just falls off the bone.
While cooking, make sure there is enough liquid and that the meat is not overcooked. If necessary, remove the fat from the surface.
The best way is to do this before warming up the meat it it was cooked the previous day.

Remove bouquet garni, cloves and orange peel. Pepper.
Check seasoning and serve with polenta, pasta or rice.
Gremolata optional.