I’ve been cooking a lot of heavy dishes the past few days.  ‘Tis the season for all those rich recipes to come out and Osso Buco served over plain-boiled polenta sounds perfect for another cold, snowy day in Colorado….

Yesterday morning, Spouse and I went up to Denver and drove through the beautiful and cold fog in Monument and Larkspur.  I can say “beautiful” cause I wasn’t doing the driving.  It was another story when we got to the city.  Driving in this weather means freezing slush and mud on the road that all stick to the whole car, including your windshield…ugh!

We were supposed to stop for lunch at our favorite Italian restaurant in Denver, Cucina Colore but changed our mind at the last minute.  I still had Italian on my mind today and dug into my freezer…guess what I found…beef shanks!

Well, okay, it’s not veal shanks like what all Osso Buco recipes call for….but I like beef shanks better than veal shanks anyway.  It’s more robust in flavor and robust is perfect for the season.

Osso Buco

1.5 lbs. beef/veal shanks

1/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp.  ground black pepper

olive oil/Olivio margarine

1 small carrot, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 bay leaf

1-14 oz. can diced tomatoes

1/2 c. water

1/4 to 1/2 c. white wine

2 garlic cloves, small bunch parsley, zest of 1 lemon – chopped together

Procedure:

Season the shanks with salt and pepper.  Heat oil and margarine in heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Dredege shanks with flour and brown in the oil.  Add celery, onion, carrots, white wine and allow to boil for a couple of minutes.  Then throw in the tomatoes, bay leaf and water and simmer for an hour and a half over low heat.

Transfer shanks to a separate bowl.  This is the time to adjust seasonings and the thickness of the sauce (boil longer without the lid). Put in the chopped garlic, parsley and lemon zest and boil for another 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook about 1.5 cup polenta in 2 cups rapidly boiling, salted water.  I used instant polenta to save on time.  Lower the heat to medium and cook 5 minutes or until you get the consistency you prefer. Finish it off with a handfull of parmesan cheese and a dab of butter.

Ladle a few spoons of the polenta onto a plate, a beef shank on top, with some of the osso buco sauce and serve hot.

 

Rao's Cookbook: Over 100 Years of Italian Home Cooking
Rao’s Cookbook: Over 100 Years of Italian Home Cooking