Marks Osso Buco Alla Fiorentina Recipes

OSSO BUCO ALLA MILANESE

Steps:

• Melt the oil in a heavy casserole large enough to hold the veal in a single layer. Dust shank pieces with flour and lightly brown on all sides over medium heat. You may find the browning easier if you do not put all the shanks in the pan at once. Do not allow them to become dark or blackened. Remove the shanks from the casserole and lower heat.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• To the casserole, add onions, carrots and celery and saute, stirring until they begin to soften. Add garlic and saute a minute longer. Add wine and cook over medium-high heat, scraping the pan until all the brown bits clinging to it have dissolved. Stir in the tomatoes, stock and thyme.
• Return the shanks to the casserole, basting with the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, cover and bake in the preheated oven about one and one-half hours until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork. Baste the shanks several times during baking.
• Remove shanks to a serving dish and keep warm. Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper if necessary. If the sauce is too thin (it should be about the consistency of cream), place the pan on top of the stove and boil down the sauce for several minutes.
• Pour sauce over the shanks and top with a little of the gremolata. Pass the rest on the side.

OSSO BUCO GREMOLATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a large shallow dish, whisk together flour, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Dredge the shanks in the mixture.
• In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt 3 tablespoons butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the shanks on all sides. Remove from the pot and set aside.
• Wipe out pot, and lower heat to medium-low. Add remaining tablespoon butter and oil. Add the carrots, onion, and celery to pan. Saute until mostly tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock, and wine; simmer for 8 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan.
• Return the meat to the pot; add garlic, bay leaf, parsley, and basil. Cover and bake for 3 hours, or until meat is tender.
• Remove the veal and set on a warm platter. Cover with foil to keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine mesh sieve and return liquid to pot. Reduce to 2 cups. Remove herbs from the vegetables and discard. Puree vegetables in a blender and return to pot (alternatively vegetables can be returned to the pot and pureed with an immersion blender).
• To make the gremolata, mix together lemon and orange zest. To serve, place 1 shank on a warm plate and spoon some sauce over the meat. Garnish with gremolata.