Ossobuco

Ingredients:

Ossobuco

• 6 veal shank discs on the bone (ossobuco), tied around the middle with string
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 fennel root, coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• A pinch of crushed red pepper
• 3/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 bunch of thyme, tied
• Gremolata, recipe below

Gremolata

• Zest of 1 orange
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp. grated horseradish

Preparation:

1. Generously salt the osso buco.
2. Generously coat a wide, flat frying pan with olive oil. Heat the pan over high heat, add the osso buco, and brown thoroughly on all sides.
3. In a food processor, puree the onion, celery, fennel, and garlic to form a coarse paste. When the ossobuco is nicely browned on all sides, remove it from the pan and set aside. Drain the excess oil from the pan, add a little fresh olive oil, and heat over high heat. Add the vegetables, add a pinch of crushed red pepper, season with salt, and fry thoroughly. Don't skip this step; it will take a while, but that's okay. Add the tomato paste and cook until it begins to brown, 3-4 minutes. Add the wine and reduce by half.
4. Preheat oven to 190°C.
5. Return the ossobuco to the pan. Add water until the liquid is level with the meat. Taste the sauce and adjust the salt if needed. Add the bay leaf and a bunch of thyme. Bring the sauce to a boil, cover, and place the entire pan in the oven.
6. Simmer the osso buco in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven, check the liquid level, and taste. Add more liquid if needed, return the pan to the oven, and cook for another hour.
7. Uncover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the osso buco to a serving platter. Skim off any fat from the surface of the sauce, if necessary. Taste the sauce and add more salt.
8. Remove the strings from the meat. Serve the ossobuco drizzled with the sauce. Sprinkle with gremolata. Serve with a coffee spoon to scoop out the marrow.
   
   

   Gremolata:

   
   Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.