Ossobuco is a comforting and delicious dish that combines high quality veal shanks, along with a lot of vegetables and herbs, to result in a tender, one pot, easy to prepare dinner your family will thank you for. The word ossobuco is Italian for bone with a hole. This wonderful dish is a better than a stew and highlights our Michigan vegetables we are harvesting now.
By Executive Chef Angelo Loria
Prep Time: 90 Minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
4 fresh bay leaves
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
4 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 ea 1½-2 inch thick ossobuco, tied around the circumference
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup All-purpose flour, for dredging
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch thick chunks attached at the root
2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 whole fennel , cut into 1 inch chunks through the root
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
6 whole cloves
2 small oranges, 1 peeled with vegetable peeler, 1 zested
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Directions
Pour the chicken broth into a small pot and keep it hot over low heat. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the ossobuco with the salt and pepper. Spread some flour on a plate. Dredge the ossobuco in the flour, tapping off the excess. When the oil is hot, add the ossobuco and brown on all sides, about 6-7 minutes in all. Remove the ossobuco to a plate.
Add the onion, carrots, fennel and celery to the Dutch oven. Cook until the onion begins to soften, and all of the vegetables are caramelized, about five minutes. Add and stir the tomato paste until it is toasted and darkened a bit, about one minute. Add the wine and herbs. Bring to a boil, and cook until the wine is reduced by half, about three minutes.
Drop in the cloves and the orange peel, reserving the zest for later. Return the ossobuco to the pot in one layer and pour enough chicken broth over the top that it almost, but not quite, covers the meat. Adjust heat so the liquid is simmering, cover and cook until the ossobuco is tender, about one hour.
Once the meat is tender, uncover it, and remove the vegetable chunks to a platter. Put the ossobuco on top of the vegetables. Discard the package of bay leaves and rosemary. Bring the liquid in the Dutch oven to a boil, and cook it down until saucy, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the strings from the ossobuco. Pour the sauce through a strainer directly over the vegetables on the platter, pressing on any remaining vegetable solids with a wooden spoon. Stir together the orange zest and parsley, sprinkle over the shanks and serve.
