Among the fantastic stash of goodies I got from our good friend
JLeonard
in the Christmas exchange were some items from a company called Home Place Pastures. Every one of them was absolutely top shelf. Decided to check out their web site and wound up placing a considerable order....to get free shipping. One of the beef cuts they offer is called Osso Bucco although this meal is commonly made with lamb. Never heard of it and was intrigued so went to visit one of my best friends: Google. Did a lot of reading, checked out a bunch of recipes, and pretty much fell in love. Needless to say, a couple of those were included in my order. Turns out it's just a beef shank but it still got my attention. Weather here yesterday was horrid so decided to do one as it's certainly considered comfort food. Found a great looking recipe and went to work.
The meat. Label didn't hold up very well but you get the idea
A big part of the allure to this meal is the marrow bone
Sprinkle with S&P, dust with AP flour
Into a Dutch Oven with some EVOO
Brown one side and flip
Browned on both sides and out of the pot
Add celery, onions, carrots, garlic and about a cup of red wine to deglaze the pot
Saute' the veggies for a few minutes and add bay leaves, thyme, Rosemary, and tomato paste
Let cook for a few minutes till it's getting really fragrant then add more wine and the beef stock. Put the meat back in, cover, and let simmer on low for a long time
3 1/2 hours later all the marrow has cooked out of the bone. Meat is super tender, fell off the bone, but still very much in tact
Remove meat and bay leaves and set aside. Time to make some gravy from the braising liquid
I added another half cup of wine, some black pepper, and a little Better Than Bouillon beef base, and slowly sifted some flour into the liquid to tighten it up then put the meat back in to reheat
While that's going on I made a nice batch of garlic mashed potatoes
A nice pile of taters on the plate and a big chunk of the meat on top
A generous serving of the gravy, garnish with parsley, and it's time to eat
My write-up and the pics simply do not do this meal full justice. It was one of the very best meals I've ever made and the aroma of this cooking all day was tantalizing!! Meat was tender beyond belief with flavors that were deep, rich, and decadent. The only way I can think to describe the gravy is silky and luxurious, which will cater to our friend Ryan (
Brokenhandle
) who, like me, has gravy running through his veins 
I can honestly attribute the amazing gravy to the marrow that cooked out of the bone. That was one of the big selling points for me when I was doing my research. Everything I read made mention of how the marrow impacted the finished product. I sure am glad I ordered more than one of these. This one is on the "must do again" list.
Here is the recipe as I stole it but made some changes as I went. I'll try to note them.
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 Beef Shanks, about 2-3 lbs total
1 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 medium yellow onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 thyme sprigs
2 rosemary sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup beef stock
2 tbsp butter
Flat leaf parsley
Polenta, egg noodles or mashed potatoes for serving
Heat oven to 350°F.
In a braising pan or shallow Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high.
Pat the beef shanks dry with a paper towel and season with the salt and desired amount of pepper. Once oil is showing slight wisps of smoke add shanks two at a time to the pan. After 3-4 minutes the shanks should be nice and browned. Turn them over and brown the other side for another 3-4 minutes. Transfer them from the pan, onto a plate and repeat the process with the remaining 2 shanks.
Once the shanks are browned and all transferred to the plate, reduce heat to medium-low and add celery, carrots and onions to the pan. Cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the tomato paste, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Return the heat to medium-high and pour 3/4 of the bottle of wine and the beef stock. Bring to a simmer, stirring to incorporate the tomato paste. Add the beef shanks back into the pan, cover and place in oven. Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Test for doneness with a fork. Meat should be very tender.
Changes:
-I used about 3/4 of a bottle of red wine versus white wine
-They say cook in the oven but I ran mine the entire time in the Dutch oven
-Recipe says 1 to 1 1/2 hour cook time. Maybe due to the low simmer it just took longer but I was 3 1/2 hours
-I used less thyme and Rosemary (about a teaspoon each of dried) plus added the BTB beef base
-Recipe says simmer the liquid till it thickens but that wasn't working so I used flour (corn starch will work also)
Well this one has gone on long enough. Thanks so much for dropping in. Sure was nice to get time to do a really good meal after several weeks of eating off-the-cuff meals. Y'all take care and stay safe. Probably see you soon for another episode of my "Tales From The Crypt".
Robert
JLeonard
in the Christmas exchange were some items from a company called Home Place Pastures. Every one of them was absolutely top shelf. Decided to check out their web site and wound up placing a considerable order....to get free shipping. One of the beef cuts they offer is called Osso Bucco although this meal is commonly made with lamb. Never heard of it and was intrigued so went to visit one of my best friends: Google. Did a lot of reading, checked out a bunch of recipes, and pretty much fell in love. Needless to say, a couple of those were included in my order. Turns out it's just a beef shank but it still got my attention. Weather here yesterday was horrid so decided to do one as it's certainly considered comfort food. Found a great looking recipe and went to work.The meat. Label didn't hold up very well but you get the idea
A big part of the allure to this meal is the marrow bone
Sprinkle with S&P, dust with AP flour
Into a Dutch Oven with some EVOO
Brown one side and flip
Browned on both sides and out of the pot
Add celery, onions, carrots, garlic and about a cup of red wine to deglaze the pot
Saute' the veggies for a few minutes and add bay leaves, thyme, Rosemary, and tomato paste
Let cook for a few minutes till it's getting really fragrant then add more wine and the beef stock. Put the meat back in, cover, and let simmer on low for a long time
3 1/2 hours later all the marrow has cooked out of the bone. Meat is super tender, fell off the bone, but still very much in tact
Remove meat and bay leaves and set aside. Time to make some gravy from the braising liquid
I added another half cup of wine, some black pepper, and a little Better Than Bouillon beef base, and slowly sifted some flour into the liquid to tighten it up then put the meat back in to reheat
While that's going on I made a nice batch of garlic mashed potatoes
A nice pile of taters on the plate and a big chunk of the meat on top
A generous serving of the gravy, garnish with parsley, and it's time to eat
My write-up and the pics simply do not do this meal full justice. It was one of the very best meals I've ever made and the aroma of this cooking all day was tantalizing!! Meat was tender beyond belief with flavors that were deep, rich, and decadent. The only way I can think to describe the gravy is silky and luxurious, which will cater to our friend Ryan (
Brokenhandle
) who, like me, has gravy running through his veins I can honestly attribute the amazing gravy to the marrow that cooked out of the bone. That was one of the big selling points for me when I was doing my research. Everything I read made mention of how the marrow impacted the finished product. I sure am glad I ordered more than one of these. This one is on the "must do again" list.Here is the recipe as I stole it but made some changes as I went. I'll try to note them.
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 Beef Shanks, about 2-3 lbs total
1 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 medium yellow onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 thyme sprigs
2 rosemary sprigs
2 bay leaves
1 bottle (750 ml) dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup beef stock
2 tbsp butter
Flat leaf parsley
Polenta, egg noodles or mashed potatoes for serving
Heat oven to 350°F.
In a braising pan or shallow Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high.
Pat the beef shanks dry with a paper towel and season with the salt and desired amount of pepper. Once oil is showing slight wisps of smoke add shanks two at a time to the pan. After 3-4 minutes the shanks should be nice and browned. Turn them over and brown the other side for another 3-4 minutes. Transfer them from the pan, onto a plate and repeat the process with the remaining 2 shanks.
Once the shanks are browned and all transferred to the plate, reduce heat to medium-low and add celery, carrots and onions to the pan. Cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the tomato paste, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Return the heat to medium-high and pour 3/4 of the bottle of wine and the beef stock. Bring to a simmer, stirring to incorporate the tomato paste. Add the beef shanks back into the pan, cover and place in oven. Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Test for doneness with a fork. Meat should be very tender.
Changes:
-I used about 3/4 of a bottle of red wine versus white wine
-They say cook in the oven but I ran mine the entire time in the Dutch oven
-Recipe says 1 to 1 1/2 hour cook time. Maybe due to the low simmer it just took longer but I was 3 1/2 hours
-I used less thyme and Rosemary (about a teaspoon each of dried) plus added the BTB beef base
-Recipe says simmer the liquid till it thickens but that wasn't working so I used flour (corn starch will work also)
Well this one has gone on long enough. Thanks so much for dropping in. Sure was nice to get time to do a really good meal after several weeks of eating off-the-cuff meals. Y'all take care and stay safe. Probably see you soon for another episode of my "Tales From The Crypt".
Robert
