Osso Buco - a Favorite

Osso Buco

Do you love Osso Buco as much as I do?

I make this a lot when I have sleepover company. You can make it ahead, freeze it and have dinner all ready!

Osso Buco

• 4 large veal shanks, 2” thick (or 8 small ones)

• 1/4 cup flour

• 3 tablespoons olive or avocado oil

• 1 carrot, finely chopped

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped

• 1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

• 1 strip lemon peel 1-1/2” long

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 1/2 cup chicken or beef stock (or more wine)

• 2 large tomatoes, chopped

• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

• freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (or 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh marjoram or oregano

Dredge the veal shanks in the flour. Shake off excess flour. Heat the olive oil in a deep sauté pan over medium heat. Brown the meat, turning the shanks occasionally (about 6-7 minutes). Remove the meat from the pan. Add the carrot, onion, celery and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lemon peel, wine, stock and tomatoes to the pan. Bring the ingredients to a simmer. Return the meat to the pan. Sprinkle the ingredients with the salt, pepper and herb. Cover the pan and simmer gently over low heat for about 2 hours or until the meat is very tender. (Or place in the oven at 275F).

Makes 4 servings

Osso Buco without Tomatoes

I love a cooking challenge. Whether it’s because a meal needs to be kosher or because someone is allergic to walnuts or doesn’t eat meat or hates potatoes, I am up for the task.

So, it was interesting for me to come up with this year’s new year’s menu when my cousins come. They will be houseguests for several days.

Our New Year’s eve day (which also includes my brother and sister-in-law) starts early and is all about hors d’oeuvres - groups of nibbles several hours apart. No actual “dinner.”

First up: almond crusted chicken nuggets, hot dog en croute, rumaki — maybe more.

Later: smoked salmon and avocado toasts, cheese gougeres, Romanian cheese turnovers, hummus.

and then dessert in the late evening. Probably Roasted Pears with Orange-Maple Sauce or Chocolate Pudding (in a pie crust). Or both.

There’s enough variety to assure everyone will be happy.

But in between days I need to consider food restrictions including: no tomatoes.

We all love Osso Buco, but classic recipes, including mine, are loaded with tomatoes. So I spent the last month making recipe after recipe — no tomatoes. All were absolutely delicious. I made versions with red wine or white, beef stock or chicken; some with a strip of lemon peel, some without, some with mushrooms.

This is the one I will be serving — note that I usually serve Osso Buco on top of mamaliga, but corn meal is also verboten, hence, the egg noodles.

Happy new year everyone.

Osso Buco (Sans tomatoes)

• 4 pieces veal shank

• 3-4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 6 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil, approximately

• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped

• 1-2 stalks celery, chopped

• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or rosemary

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 strip lemon peel, about 2-inches long

• 1 cup red wine

• 1 cup beef stock

Coat each piece of veal with some flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in an ovenproof saute pan or casserole over medium heat. Cook the coated veal shanks for 6-7 minutes, or until lightly browned on each side. Add 1-2 tablespoons more oil as needed to prevent sticking. Remove the shanks to a dish and set aside. Add 2 more tablespoons olive oil to the pan. Add the carrots, celery and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes, or until lightly softened. Add the garlic and mix it in. Return the shanks to the pan and spoon the vegetables on top. Sprinkle with the parsley, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Add the lemon peel. Pour in the wine and stock. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Cover the pan. Remove the casserole to the oven. Set the temperature to 325 degrees. Cook for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until the meat is soft. Serve the shanks with the pan fluids and vegetables.

Makes 4 servings