Osso buco is a famous Italian dish from Milan. It is made of veal shanks and vegetables braised in white wine and chicken broth. You can use any type of broth, but I prefer beef stock. The wine makes the meat tastier to the palette and the mix of herbs adds more flavor.  As always, feel free to adjust the ingredients according to your taste.

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 dry bay leaf

2 whole cloves

Cheesecloth

Kitchen twine, for bouquet garni and tying the veal shanks

3 whole veal shanks (about 1 pound per shank), trimmed

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or five spice

All purpose flour, for dredging

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 small onion, diced into 1/2-inch cubes

1 small carrot, diced into 1/2-inch cubes

1 stalk celery, diced into 1/2 inch cubes

1 cup tomatoes, sliced and seeded

1 cup dry white wine

3 cups beef broth

3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon zest

To prepare the bouquet garni, place the basil, oregano, bay leaf and cloves in cheesecloth and tie it with the kitchen twine.

Dry the veal shanks using paper towels to remove extra moisture. After, secure the meat to the bone with the kitchen twine. Season it with salt and pepper.

Put flour on a plate. Roll the shanks in flour and shake off the excess.

In a big pot, heat the oil until it is very hot. Fry the veal shanks for 3 minutes on each side or until it is brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Saute the onions, carrots and celery in the same oil used for the shanks. Season it with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables are half cooked. Add the tomatoes and mix all the ingredients well.

Put the shanks in the pot with vegetables, pour in the white wine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until half of the wine evaporates. Add the broth, cinnamon/five spice  and bouquet garni.  Keep the fire at low heat. Cover and simmer the veal shanks for 1- 1/2 hour or until they are very soft and falling of the bone. Check the meat every 15 minutes to make sure that the broth is covering 3/4 of the shank. Add more chicken broth if necessary. Turn the shank at least once to make sure it is evenly cooked.

Transfer the veal shanks to a plate and pour in the juices. Discard the bouquet garni. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest. Serve on top of noodles or with rice.

Photos Courtesy Of: stu_spivack