I didn’t follow a recipe. I applied the same principles from my slow cooked lamb shanks and liberated myself from the shackles of a recipe book. It was an enlightening experience. I also didn’t put any wine in so the kids could eat it. Even so, the results were mighty fine.
As a reminder, here are my principles for slow cooking:
- right cut of meat: in this case veal shin, which after slow cooking falls off the bone
- inject flavour into the sauce: I browned fatty bacon, used a decent beef stock and put in a bouquet garni freshly cut from the garden
- don’t rush it: friends came over and I left it cooking on the stove top on a low heat for about four hours.
Ingredients
- 4 x veal shin (osso bucco)
- olive oil
- seasoned flour to dust the veal
- 1 x carrot, 1 x white onion, 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped
- 1 x garlic clove, finely chopped
- two rashers of fatty bacon, chopped
- 400ml tin of tomatoes
- good teaspoon of tomato paste
- beef stock (amount depends on the casserole dish you use, but rule of thumb is that the stock should just cover the meat after all the ingredients have been included)
- bouquet garni tied with kitchen twine (I used bay, parsley and rosemary)
- chopped parsley
Method
- heat oil in a casserole dish (make sure it has a tightly fitting top)
- dust the veal with the seasoned flour
- brown the veal
- brown the bacon until crispy
- add the onion, celery and carrot and cook on a lowish heat until softened.
- add the garlic
- if there is any flour left over, add it now, and stir to mix with the vegetables
- add the meat and bacon back into the casserole dish
- add the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef stock and tuck the bouquet garni down the side of the meat
- bring up to a simmer, lower the heat. Add the lid and leave for a few hours
- when the meat is tender and falling off the bone, remove the lid and let the sauce thicken a little
- remove the bouquet garni
- add chopped parsley
- I served with pasta, but steamed vegetables and creamy mash would be lovely
- enjoy with a nice glass of red wine.
July 19, 2012 at 5:19 pm
One of my favourites too……I love Osso Bucco with polenta, have you tried it? Nothing nicer than that sauce topped over creamy polenta! Good job! Looks delicious!
July 19, 2012 at 5:24 pm
No I haven’t. I have only tried polenta once, and it was a failure. I think I had the wrong sort.
Have you got a recipe? I need hand holding on this one.
July 19, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Hmm…what happened? There are two types of polenta, the quick cooking (5 minutes) and the normal. Both require stirring. The big difference is that the normal is kind of stay at the pot and stir for 40 minutes type, but it does render a creamier polenta. The quick cook, well, it cooks quickly but once it’s on your plate, it starts to solidify. I always choose the normal, just cause I love the creaminess. I will send you a good recipe for one, if you feel like trying it one day……just make sure you tackle it on a weekend. And also, make a bit more than you will use, that way you have left overs and I will give you a few tips on what you can do with it!
July 19, 2012 at 5:42 pm
I think I must have tried the quick stuff, because it went quite thick. I’m scarred, so a recipe would be good. Would leftovers be polenta chips? cos I’ve had them in a restaurant and they were yum. Any help most welcome!
July 19, 2012 at 8:47 pm
Ok, will rustle up a recipe for you!
July 19, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Yes please!
July 19, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Might supplement the veal for something else, but I may give this ago :-)
July 19, 2012 at 5:23 pm
normal beef shin works. Doesn’t have to be veal. Or lamb shanks. Or beef cheeks. Any slow cooked meat would work.
July 19, 2012 at 7:23 pm
Yum! I’m not even that in to Osso Bucco, but this one looks simply delicious!
July 19, 2012 at 8:35 pm
Give it a go. Or any stewing meat will do the trick. Have a look at my lamb shank in sangiovese.
July 19, 2012 at 8:46 pm
Looks wonderful
July 19, 2012 at 9:07 pm
Thank you!
July 19, 2012 at 9:11 pm
A recipe to me is like a borrowed idea: it always ends up ‘my’ way. I think that’s how recipes become family favorites.
This is a delicious dish. I have to get on with cooking more meat for my blog. The only problem I find is I can’t seem to take good photograph of them. I gotta try osso bucco with polenta for a blog sometime.
July 19, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Thank you! And you ‘re so right. A recipe gets refined, moulded, adapted and merged to suit tastes. It’s not right or wrong, it just is. That’s why I get so inspired reading blogs. Never ceases to amaze or inspire me.
Thanks for the insightful comment. Much appreciated.
Andy
July 19, 2012 at 9:53 pm
Looking very tasty and the moment anyone mentions slow braises and bone marrow I get all giddy. polenta mash is a favourite too, or potato or even celeriac, (something I’ve been trying at home recently.)
All gorgeous!
July 19, 2012 at 9:57 pm
Nothing better than spooning out creamy gelatinous bone marrow! The best bit.
July 20, 2012 at 12:20 am
Gorgeous dish! I shared it on twitter. Take care, BAM
July 20, 2012 at 10:26 am
I’m now a twitter follower of yours!
July 20, 2012 at 8:46 am
WOW! I don’t actually eat beef or pork very often, but this looks amazing!
July 20, 2012 at 9:21 am
It’s a very nice dish. Thanks for dropping by and commenting.
July 20, 2012 at 3:05 pm
Lovely. I do lamb osso buco but I really need to try the veal too. Looks lovely.
July 20, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Veal is very nice. I have used beef shin before, and that’s nice too. Thanks for commenting.
July 27, 2012 at 10:31 pm
Wow I’ve always enjoyed lamb but never cooked it myself….but you may have just inspired me!
August 1, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Looks like a nice, robust, winter dish. I’ve never made a osso bucco before but I think it’s time I add it to my repertoire.
August 19, 2012 at 9:25 pm
Thanks for letting me camp out in your blog for a little while today. I had a great time and tried to leave my campsite as good as when I arrived. I’ll be back!
August 19, 2012 at 9:50 pm
No probs, the site is a better place for your visit.