Osso buco is a hearty Italian dish made by braising veal shanks in a rich stock with white wine and tomatoes; garnish with a zesty gremolata made with fresh parsley, lemon zest, and garlic for a memorable meal.
I tried this recipe as written the first time and I have to admit it was very good, however when I mentioned it to a friend of Italian ancestry he suggested instead of butter, I brown the shanks in pancetta fat. I chopped up about a 1/4 lb. of pancetta, fried it, removed it from the pan, drained off all but about 2 tbls of the fat and browned the shanks. I removed the shanks and used the same fat to saute the onions, added the wine and deglazed the pan. I added the previously fried pancetta with the other ingredients. I know it's not as healthy but it was absolutely delicious. The one thing he told me was, do not subsitute bacon, it has to be pancetta.
Read MoreI must be in the minority after looking at the ratings for this dish.... I usually love Osso Bucco, but after making this 2x, it has a very different flavor that I just didn't care for.
Read MoreI tried this recipe as written the first time and I have to admit it was very good, however when I mentioned it to a friend of Italian ancestry he suggested instead of butter, I brown the shanks in pancetta fat. I chopped up about a 1/4 lb. of pancetta, fried it, removed it from the pan, drained off all but about 2 tbls of the fat and browned the shanks. I removed the shanks and used the same fat to saute the onions, added the wine and deglazed the pan. I added the previously fried pancetta with the other ingredients. I know it's not as healthy but it was absolutely delicious. The one thing he told me was, do not subsitute bacon, it has to be pancetta.
This has to be one of the best osso i have eaten, even better than some that I have had at Italian restaurants. I made it exactly as the recipe describes for a family dinner and everyone wanted the recipe. I have tried others out there but none as delicious as this. Hmmm I have to admit the meat basically melts in your mouth. This definitly will become a family favourite.
An excellent recipe by itself. Like others, I doctored a bit with some herbs like bay leaf and herbs d'province. The best advice I can offer to really enhance the flavors is to prepare this a day ahead of time, let it cool slowly, refrigerate overnight and warm at 325 for an hour, tightly sealed. This always works for me with dishes that include bone with marrow
This recipe is so good and so easy, you are crazy not to make this! I had to substitute red wine, but still excellent. I have made this dish several ways, but this recipe is a combination of all the best attributes of the others. Good with rissoto or pasta! Just tell your butcher that you want a veal shank prepped for osso buco. You will probably get three pieces from a shank.
I must be in the minority after looking at the ratings for this dish.... I usually love Osso Bucco, but after making this 2x, it has a very different flavor that I just didn't care for.
I loved this recipe, but I browned the shanks on both sides in a skillet then transferred them to a crockpot and cooked them for @ 8 hrs. it was so tender!!
What a tasty dish!!! The white wine is definately key and as advised I added (3 tbs) Italian herbs. I also decided to add (for 6) half a small can of tomatoe paste for the tomatoe sauce effect. The advise of cooking ahead and letting it set for a day is also a good idea. As Italian red sauces always taste better the next day. Note: I am in Europe and had a hard time finding the specified veal chop and I ended up with a cut that was more intended for stew. But, even though the result was a stew, it was abasolutley delicious. I cant wait to make it again with or without the chops!
This is a very good recipe. The only problem is that it isn't actually a "Traditional" ossobuco. The Italians weren't introduced to tomatoes until after this recipe had been invented.
AMAZING recipe that any Italian will be proud to serve! I even used the wrong cut of meat (could only find boneless veal meant for stew) but it did not affect how fast this meal was devoured. Just make sure that the cut is fatty or you will loose the flavor. I doubled the garlic, added one can small can of tomatoe puree and 4 tbs of Italian Seasoning Mix to suit my tastes and served with penne pasta. I cant wait to make this again, it was that good. Yum:)
This was absolutely wonderful. My husband requested Osso Bucco for his birthday today 2/26/13. With that said, I prepared this recipe for 14 people. I read all the reviews first and made a couple of changes. First, I rendered pancetta and seared off my salt/peppered/ flour dusted veal shanks in the fat. Scrapped the bottom of pan, hit it with the garlic and onion and cooked. Deglazed the pots with the white wine. I added italian seasoning through the cooking process and salt and pepper. I made this the day before so this dish could rest overnight and become more flavorful. Dinner was at 5:30pm, I took osso bucco out of the frig around 1pm and let it come to room temp for about an hour, put on low and let simmer until dinner time. Meat was fall off the bone tender and the sauce was wonderful. I have leftover sauce with carrots that I will probably throw some pasta into and make a nice soup. One thing I will do next time is dredge the veal in flour in lieu of dusting. This will help to thicken the sauce a little more though you don't want this to be stew like. The cooking time is off. Should be about 2 hrs the night before and then three hours the next day. Also, served this with a parmesan risotto and good italian bread. Will definitely make this again.
Beautiful. This is now a favourite for me. I made it as per the instructions and it worked out perfectly. First time I've actually had Osso Buco and definitely my first attempt at cooking it, and it wasn't hard to do. My wife loved it as well and we will do this one again.
This recipe is very simple to make. The only change I made was using a chop instead of shank there is less fat and my kids loved it. My husband requests it almost every week!! It's awesome.. Thanks for sharing it.
This is a great recipe, though chicken broth is typically used. I had in my freezer some excellent homemade chicken stock and I used that with the white wine. I always salt and pepper the shanks before dusting with flour, and I grate the carrots and allow them to carmelize with the onion and garlic. This is a great do-ahead meal. I just made it for a sit-down dinner party for 12, served with a rustic mash of yukon gold potatoes, cauliflower and leeks, alongside a hearty vegetable salad and bread. We had a choice of Rioja, Cotes-du-Rhone and Malbec wines. A perfect birthday dinner for a dear friend. You and your guests will be thrilled with the results of this dish.
This is absolutely delicious. I did make a couple changes. 1) I minced the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. I don't think Osso Buco was meant to have whole veggies; they are just supposed to form the sauce. I could be wrong, but this has been the norm in my experience thus far. 2) I seasoned the veal shanks with salt and pepper before dredging in flour. 3) I added 1/4 t dried thyme, 1/4 t dried basil, and 1/4 t dried parsley before allowing to simmer. 4) Finally, I cooked this in the oven at 300 for 2.5 hours. Will definitely make again.
WOW! Never had this dish before but decided to give it a try. I followed the recipe pretty much to the tee. I did salt/pepper before the flour. I used a deep dish castiron with a lid and then put it on the oven. I cooked bacon and used the grease from the bacon along with some butter for the fat. I was having a craving for a BLT, thus the bacon fat! Cooked it for about 2 hours and then shut off and left on the stove to cool. Was going to put into the refrig for overnight and eat tomorrow night. Had leftover salmon scheduled for tonight. Hubby came home, took one smell and decided he needed this for dinner. Added two tsps of tomato paste to thicken the gravy a tad bit, put back in the oven for about 45 min and served with garlic roasted mashed potatoes. I am very impressed with this and my ability to pull it off! Hubby loved it and decided that salmon leftovers will be going for his lunch tomorrow and he wants "Osso Buco" leftovers for dinner tomorrow night. His only suggestions for improvement! Double the recipe so he can have it for lunch the next day and leftovers the next night! That is the ultimate compliment! Deserves more then five stars! Very easy to prepare and simple household ingredents that are usually available in every kitchen!
I tried this recipe using skinless chicken thighs instead of the veal. Though not traditional, it was great!
I loved the sauce part of this dish but I think it would have been better to sear the veal with salt and pepper rather than just flour. It really helps more than just seasoning it later.
Just served and inhaled this dinner for my husbands birthday dinner and let me just say "Fantastic !" And thats coming from an ok cook !!!! We dined on OssoBuco in a restaurant on Arthur Ave this past weekend which is in The Little Italy section of the Bronx, NY. .True classic Italian restaurants with authentic , delicious food.I had to try this for its my husbands favorite dish.So happy I found this recipe!!,OMG it was as good as what we had in the restaurant !!!!We all kept saying this is sooooo good:) Slow cooked for hours in a heavy cast iron pot and served with gnocci, just like in the restaurant!!!The sauce and meat were delicious and so tender and juicy!,plus the house smelled awesome.Comfort food so yummy and your guests will be impressed too!!! A KEEPER and repeat again and again for sure :)
Very good, and relatively easy for osso buco. Make sure to add enough salt and pepper. I added it to the meat when I floured it, and also before simmering. I served it in a bowl over noodles to soak up the juices.
Oh soooo good. Followed the recipe pretty closely with a couple very small tweaks... Added salt and pepper to the flour I dusted the shanks with and added a couple bay leaves when the stock and tomatoes (petite diced) went in. Served with homemade risotto and roasted aspargus. This is a top shelf meal!!
Very good.... Cooked it for 5 hours... added a whole bag of carrots and one giant onion.... lots of garlic, 1 tsp dried thyme and fresh basil too... Then added beef risotto to the mixture only 5 minutes before serving.... Yum!!
This was outstanding. I'm a huge Osso Bucco fan. I don't usually do this, but I followed this recipe to the letter and it was excellent. I will be making it again and I'm not changing a thing.
No veal shanks available at the market so I used beef shanks. Made this a day ahead and re-heated for dinner. It was fabulous.
Wow this was definitely a restaurant quality dinner!! The supermarket had no veal shanks, so I took a chance and used veal shoulder, which is a cheaper and sometimes tough cut of meat. Since I knew it was going to be simmered I thought why not?! It was absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and the meat was so tender it could have been cut with a fork. The sauce was absolutely perfect and it smelled and looked delicious cooking. Next time I may add some tomato paste to the sauce since my husband likes a thicker sauce.
Worth every minute of time and effort. Stellar meal. I strongly recommend seasoning the meat prior to browning it. It makes a huge difference.
YUM!!! Made it the day before and put in the fridge. Heated back up on the stove prior to serving and added rosemary roasted potatoes on the side, absolutely delicious. Try this one, it is really that good.
This recipe was delicious. I couldn't get the veal shanks, so substituted approx. 3 lbs. of beef short ribs. I had the butcher cut them into 2-3 inch pieces. The recipe worked perfectly and served 4 people. The meat was sooo tender. I served it over orzo. This will become a regular for us. Susan H
First time making Osso Buco and I choose this recipe. first let me say that I followed the recipe as is and It was utterly Delicious!!! I made a gremolata to accompany this dish which was really a hit. I love this recipe and would make again.
This is better than most restaurants!!! We knew we were having the leftovers later and didn't want the parsley/garlic/zest cooked in, so we sprinkled it on top. As with the wine, it is essential to the awesomeness of this dish. We braised the shanks, then used the crockpot for the cooking. It would work well with any meat and next we're using London Broil. This is a great dish to serve guests. It's so simple and simply delicious!
I used a crock pot and set it on low for 4 hours. Boiled some potatoes and served the sauce on the potatoes. Some special bread and enjoyed the meal.
One of the best things I ever made. I planned to follow the recipe exactly but of course I did not. I didn't have veal shanks so I used beef short ribs. I added a diced celery stalk and doubled the garlic. I also put in a whole can of beef broth. It was quite soupy at first so the meat stewed rather than braised. but the end result was a wonderfully flavorful gravy. Also I cooked it much longer that recommended - almost 4 hours - I wanted very tender meat and maybe beef needs more time than veal I will be making this again. It is not too difficult and the result was pretty fabulous. Oh and I did not have fresh parsley for the gremolata so I just put a little dried parsley in as it cooked. Next time I will definitely make the gremolata. It sounds great.
Since I've never made or eaten Osso Buco before, I have nothing to compare it to .. but, it's really delicious. The meat is so tender and the vegetables are perfectly cooked and seasoned. I made it last night for tonight since so many had said it is better the next day. I served it with orzo mixed with basil and grated fresh parmesan.
This is Yummy! I made this with Angus stew meat cut small ,Cooked as directed. The next day I put it in the crock pot on low for 3 hours on low. Made a purfect after church meal. Served with Rice. Very tender and the sauce is delectable.
Very Good! I added some oregano in with the lemon mix. This was very good. After cooking my onions and garlic i put everything in the slow cooker on low for 8 hrs. I served this over "Basic microwave risotto" also an AR recipe.
Holy cow! Such a mouth-watering dish. I stayed true to all instructions, but one. I roasted the veal in my earthen lidded dish instead of simmering on the stovetop. Excellent result.
I "Simon-and-Garfunkled" this recipe with some parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme then stayed true to the rest of the recipe ... DEEE-LISH!!
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe; the sauce was extraordinary. I did use chicken broth instead of beef broth. Think I will try it with chicken next time, as veal shanks are so expensive and, often, hard to find.
Slow cooker version: I used beef shanks instead of veal. Drained the liquid from the diced tomatoes (I used canned whole tomatoes) and used 1/3 cup less liquid (water instead of beef stock). Let 'er rip for 8 hours. Soft, tender, delicious (and cheap!). Loved it.
I cannot describe how good this was! The only change I made was I used red wine instead of white (it was all I had) I Used 1 cup each of finely diced onion carrot and celery(needed to use them up) and a little extra garlic . Instead of cooking it on the stove top I put it in the crockpot....worked wonderfully!
Made this for dinner tonight and then after cooking it for two hours, I put it in the fridge for tomorrow night! Decided that the advice of others..."better the next day" was worth the wait. My whole house smelled YUMMO so I'm sure it'll be a hit and I don't have to wait to give it 5 stars. ps. Made tomorrow night's dinner tonight for the last minute change. Tamale Casserole.
Veal shanks are hard to find and pricey so I substituted Beef shanks. Otherwise everything was pretty much the way the recipe directs. It was so tender and the marrow adds so much beefiness to the flavor . I served it on a bed of rice and nothing else. It was killer. I made enough for ten people and Everyone wanted to know how to make it.
Made exactly as recipe stated. This is very elegant and so, so good and easy to make.
This was my first attempt making osso buco. My husband orders it at restaurants whenever he sees it on the menu, it's his favorite. I used beef shanks and took a couple of suggestions from other reviewers (seasoning the shanks before the flour dusting, and rendering pancetta to use instead of butter). I was planning on making it one day and serving it the next because I wasn't going to be home for dinner the first night. When my husband got home he sneaked a piece and texted me that he wanted to marry me all over again (it's been 32 years). He couldn't believe I "nailed it" on my first try. It was delicious.
Mmmmm.....good! I added a bit of dried oregano and basil to the vegetables as they cooked. I also drained the tomoatoes, so the gravy wouldn't be too dilute. I served over mashed potatoes, and it was soooooo good. Definitely a keeper.
I added some italian seasoning and with no white wine available, I added red. The taste was delicious; however, I needed to cook it longer, probably 2 hours.
I've made this recipe now 4 times and every time I get the same reaction.. WOW.. flavour is intense, especially the 2nd day.. a favourite in the house!
Very very yummy. I was only able to find beef shank, not veal. So I had to cook it 3 hours to get the "fall off the bone" tenderness that I wanted. But well worth it! Next time, I will try it in the slow cooker!
Mmm Good! Made this exactly according to the recipe and it received rave reviews! Do heed the advice of other reviewers that said it tastes better the next day and be sure to make yours ahead. Absolutely delish!
Never thought I would ever make this dish at home, but I saw the veal shanks at the grocery store, and I was compelled to try it! Saw this simple recipe and got to it! Took out the celery and carrots and used mushrooms instead, adding at the very end. Turned out amazing. Thanks so much I feel like a REAL home cook now!
i used beef shank and chicken broth instead of veal and beef stock, also added some basil and thyme still tastes great and the house smelled so good when i'm cooking it. didn't quite like the lemon zest but I think it depends on personal taste
very good. I made it for guest for our "Italian Christmas Party". Everyone loved it. I may even make it again.
I just thought this was ok. Thanks for the recipe tho..I think it's a great base for me to change things as to how I like them.
If there were 6 stars, this dish would get them all! I followed it almost to the letter, substituting veal stew meat, (becasue I had it on hand). I was prepping a few meals and this one was stored two days in the fridge (without the last ingredients) The sauce thickened on it's own. Served with Orzo. This was the BEST I've ever tasted!
I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS THE VEAL I BOUGHT (CUT AT THE BUTCHERS0 OR IF I COOKED IT TOO LONG. THERE WAS NO MEAT LEFT, JUST BONES...ALL FAT..I' WILL NEVER BUY VEAL SHANKS AGAIN.
Excellent but more salt and flavoring needed -- Still very, very good! Suggest: 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, jalepeno juice (to taste); I used a few drops and Lawry's Seasoning (1/2 tsp). Also, I had to cook about 1/2 hour longer for the meat to soften.
served it over over sundried tomato polenta with some redpepper flakes---yummy and easy
We loved this recipe! I salt and peppered the veal and then floured and seared it as suggested. It was an elegant, easy and delicious meal. We had a great bottle of wine, some asparagus and pasta to go with it. Fantastic! Thanks for sharing.
I love this recipe! It is deceptively easy and delicious. I served it over Israeli Cous Cous which was perfect cause the sauce on the pasta is an entire other aspect of the meal that it would be a shame to miss out on! Some other little pasta like orzo would be equally great. I was trying to impress a guy I like who also happens to be an Italian Chef. I was pretty intimidated but this recipe was perfect and he loved it! I changed it up just a bit cause I prefer not to eat veal. Instead I used Lamb Shank. Next time I will ask the butcher for pieces that are a little less fatty, but other than that it was so good! This is now for sure my go to recipe for when I want to impress a dinner guest!
I totally recommend this recipe. The gremolata at the end is a must. Served with spaghetti it was a resounding success with everyone wanting seconds. Make sure you make enough.
Classic perfection. Made 2 minor changes First I used red wine instead of white and second used shallots in place of the regular onion. Yum!
Add a few Italian herbs and spices to the meat and the sauce and this is a 5-star dish
WOW! Hubby loves Osso Buco and when I made this, he said it was better than going out!!! Thank you for sharing a great recipe!
Ab fab! Easy, common ingredients, excellent flavor. I added a little more garlic and because there were no herbs/spices, I used a can of Italian style diced tomatoes with basil, thyme, etc. I will decrease the butter by half next time because of concern for my mother's heart. But she said, "If I'm gonna have a heart attack, let me have Osso Buco in my mouth!"
I'm a huge osso buco fan and decided to try out this recipe. It lacked the richness I'm used to. I lightly seasoned with s & p as I went because the dish lacked flavor. I followed the advice of others and added salt and pepper to my flour. I also used 4 ounces of bacon, (finely chopped and rendered) and used it to saute the onions and carrots in. I used red wine instead of white and added bayleaf and fresh rosemary. I think the canned tomatoes left the sauce too thin. Adding tomato paste would be helpful and a richer beef stock. The gremolata is a must to add in at the end.
Fantastic! Made this several times - first with the shanks, but they are so expensive I tried it again with veal stew meat. Not quite as good because you don't get the marrow but still delish! Next time, I'm going to add some bones ...
Amazing! I added Italian herbs, bay leaf and salt and pepper to the flour. The veal was perfect.
This recipe was extremely easy to follow and tasted great. I followed it to the letter and we all loved it. The meat was super succulent and the sauce was delicious. I agree with other posters that it tastes even better the next day, but it is still the best I have ever tasted when eaten the same day as prepared.
So good! I used beef shanks, so I had to cook them a bit longer - maybe 20 extra minutes - before they were tender. Only other changes were to season the flour with pepper and add more carrots - 3 medium in all. Delicious!
My husband and I really enjoyed this dinner. It is easy to make. I served it with some fresh pasta. Yum. (my husband doesn't even care for veal but loved this)
I followed Coverdale's advice about browning in pancetta and was very happy with that. No veal shanks at the market, so I had to use chops. We loved the recipe and will use again! YUM!
This was an easy and excellent recipe. My family really enjoyed it. I think the last ingredients made a difference in the taste. I did make one change. I used chicken stock instead of beef stock because that was what I had on hand. My daughter commented, "that gravy was s-o-o-o good, I didn't need the meat".
I have never made or even tasted this before so it was a real experiment. What a pleasant surprise - we loved it.
Pretty good flavors - maybe I am just not as big a fan of osso bucco as I thought - it was just a little more oily and fatty than I expected. However, I did use lamb and not veal, so very possible that was the problem.
I think this is a wonderful base to start with for Osso Buco. It was delicious but not as good as some I have had. Feel free to play with the ingredients if you have the urge. I think next time I will use red wine and less tomato.
This recipe is outstanding. The meat tastes even better after you've left it in the fridge overnight. The meat just sucks in all the flavour in that time.
My husband said it was better than having it at a restaurant! Nothing needs to be changed on this recipe
My family loved it. I served the day after I made it and it was absolutely fabulous.
This was really good. I used Venison shanks instead of Veal. Also, used Red and White wine becasue I didn't have enough of either one. Very delish!
I made this for my dinner group this week. I had to make one substitution, there are several people in the dinner group that won't eat veal, so I used turkey cutlets instead. I had no idea what a shank was, but apparently the turkey cutlet wasn't even close to the right cut. The recipe still turned out amazing. I basically served everyone one turkey cutlet with the sauce spooned over it, decorated with the parsley,zest,garlic topping and garnished with a sprig of parsley. It made a very nice presentation and everyone really enjoyed it.
I followed the recipe exactly as written but didn't get a great outcome. My veal seemed a little overcooked while the carrots seemed a little undercooked. Next time I will try to cut the shank into thicker pieces and the carrot into thinner pieces perhaps? Good flavor though, will try this again.
Delicous! Wanted something different & this was a hit with my family. Served it with risotto.
This recipe was heavenly!! My husband and I loved it. It was a very simple recipe and the prep work was very easy. I enjoyed making it and eating it!!
I don't really care for osso bucco in general, but when i made this for my husband, he loved it! I froze the leftovers and he had it again 2 weeks later and said it was still amazing. He rarely raves about my cooking that way. A recipe that gets a rave from my husband has to be worth 5 stars.
I followed this recipe exactly and it just didn't turn out for me. The meat tasted like it needed to cook an hour or two more. Not sure what I did wrong, but I did not like this one that much.
This was a great recipe. I followed it precisely. Only difference I added some mushrooms and reduced the gravy a little before serving. Boiled rice completed a very yummy and satisfying meal. Thankyou
I made this for Valentine's Day dinner and we loved it. It was a nice treat at home vs. going out on such a busy night. It was an easy recipe to prepare and freezes well.
Never had this dish before and I wasn't disappointed with it - I think the leftovers had an even better flavor. This was my first time cooking with veal shank and perhaps I just don't know what to look for, but the amount of fat/grease in the finished dish was considerable. I'd hate to ditch the recipe because of the fat.
This dish was amazing. My husband couldn't believe I cooked it! It's actually better than some osso buco we've had at expensive celebrity restaurants. Thanks for a great meal tonight!
They were out of veal at the supermarket, so we substituted some thinly-cut (half-inch) top sirloin steaks (the guy at the meat counter will usually cut steaks to desired thickness). It worked magically, although next time I might try 3/4 inch cuts, as these were on the border of falling apart (melt-in-your-mouth). Still, the flavor was amazing.
