Osso Bucco

I love Sunday night suppers. There’s nothing better, unless of course it’s Sunday night supper at my Mom’s house. I didn’t just fall into my love of food, I was raised this way. 🙂 Last night my Mom made this crazy delicious Osso Bucco. And all I had to do was eat it. See? Sunday night suppers at my Mom’s are the best.

Osso Bucco

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper, for seasoning
16 sections of veal shank (10 to 12 pounds total), 2 inches thick
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 medium-size yellow onions, coarsely chopped
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
28 ounces canned Italian plum tomatoes, drained
2 cups dry red wine
2 cups beef stock
3/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Grated zest of 2 lemons

Season the flour with salt and pepper and dredge the pieces of veal shank well. Heat the oil and butter together in a large casserole or Dutch oven over medium-low heat and sear the veal, browning well on all sides. Transfer the veal to paper towels to drain. Add the onions, garlic, basil, and oregano to the casserole and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste, and cook for another 10 minutes. Skim the excess fat. Add the wine and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Return the veal shanks to the casserole and the beef stock just to cover. Cover the casserole and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the lid and bake, uncovered, until the veal is very tender, another 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and grated lemon zest, and serve immediately. (Serve over tagliatelle pasta.) Serves 6 to 8.