Italian Pork Shank Osso Buco Recipes

PORK SHANK OSSO BUCO WITH POLENTA AND GREMOLATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Liberally season all sides of the shanks with salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the pan and sear the shanks until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes a side. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the Dutch oven, then add the carrots, celery and onions. Season with salt and pepper and saute until the vegetables are slightly soft and browned, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 second. Add the wine to deglaze, scraping all the bits off the bottom. Add the shanks, any accumulated juices, the warm stock, tomatoes and bay leaves. Cover, transfer to the oven and cook until the shanks are extremely fork-tender, about 2 hours. Remove the shanks and tent with foil on a plate.
• If the braising liquid is a bit thin, right before serving, simmer the remaining liquid until thickened slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Add additional salt and pepper if necessary.
• For each serving, put a ladle of Creamy Polenta in a shallow bowl, followed by a warm shank with a ladle of rich braising liquid, then top with the fresh Gremolata.
• Bring 6 cups water to a rolling boil in a heavy-bottomed 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting, add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pour the cornmeal into the water in a very slow stream from a measuring cup, all the while whisking in a circular motion to prevent lumps.
• Cover and cook, vigorously stirring the polenta with a wooden spoon for about 10 seconds once every 5 minutes and making sure to scrape clean the bottom and corners of the pot, until the polenta has lost its raw cornmeal taste and becomes soft and smooth, about 30 minutes. Stir in the cream, butter, cheese and salt and pepper to taste.
• Mix the parsley, lemon zest, orange zest and garlic together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

PORK OSSO BUCO

Steps:

• Salt and pepper both sides of pork shank sections.
• Heat oil and butter in a heavy pot over high heat. Brown pork until it gets a nice sear, 3 or 4 minutes per side. Transfer pork to a plate; reduce heat to medium. Add onions, carrots, and celery to pot. Sprinkle with salt. Cook and stir until onions start to turn translucent. Add tomato paste; cook and stir until tomato paste starts to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in flour; stir for 2 minutes. Add white wine and raise heat to medium high.
• When sauce comes to a simmer, cook until sauce reduces slightly. Add bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, and ground cloves. Add chicken stock and return to a simmer. Transfer pork back to pot along with any accumulated juices. Bring mixture to a very slow simmer. Cover and cook until fork tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
• Serve shanks with plenty of sauce, topped with freshly chopped parsley and a sprinkle of lemon zest.

OSSO BUCO

Steps:

• Place the rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and cloves into cheesecloth and secure with twine. This will be your bouquet garni.
• For the veal shanks, pat dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. Veal shanks will brown better when they are dry. Secure the meat to the bone with the kitchen twine. Season each shank with salt and freshly ground pepper. Dredge the shanks in flour, shaking off excess.
• In a large Dutch oven pot, heat vegetable oil until smoking. Add tied veal shanks to the hot pan and brown all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove browned shanks and reserve.
• In the same pot, add the onion, carrot and celery. Season with salt at this point to help draw out the moisture from the vegetables. Saute until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Return browned shanks to the pan and add the white wine and reduce liquid by half, about 5 minutes. Add the bouquet garni and 2 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pan and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Check every 15 minutes, turning shanks and adding more chicken stock as necessary. The level of cooking liquid should always be about 3/4 the way up the shank.
• Carefully remove the cooked shanks from the pot and place in decorative serving platter. Cut off the kitchen twine and discard.
• Remove and discard bouquet garni from the pot.
• Pour all the juices and sauce from the pot over the shanks. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest.

ITALIAN PORK SHANK OSSO BUCO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 160˚C (325˚F). Season pork shanks with salt and pepper all over and set aside.
• Heat an olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat, and brown the meat from both sides.Set the meat aside on a plate and add garlic and onions in the Dutch oven. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, or until onion is lightly golden and translucent.
• Add in tomato purée, chicken stock, orange juice, basil and oregano. Season with salt and pepper and bring to soft-simmer.
• Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and place it in the preheated oven (rack positioned on low). Bake the meat in the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Check on the sauce halfway though cooking time if it's not too thick. Move the meat a bit around and add more water if needed.
• Bake the meat until tender and pulls apart easily with a fork. Serve pork osso buco over white rice and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

OSSO BUCCO-STYLE BEEF SHANK

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef shank and cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Return onion and garlic to the pan. Sprinkle thyme, oregano, rosemary, and marjoram over beef.
• Pour tomatoes and tomato paste into the pan. Fill the empty tomato paste can with water and pour into the pan. Stir in lemon zest, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until beef is very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

TRADITIONAL OSSO BUCO

Steps:

• Dust the veal shanks lightly with flour. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the veal, and cook until browned on the outside. Remove to a bowl, and keep warm. Add two cloves of crushed garlic and onion to the skillet; cook and stir until onion is tender. Return the veal to the pan and mix in the carrot and wine. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Pour in the tomatoes and beef stock, and season with salt and pepper. Cover, and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, basting the veal every 15 minutes or so. The meat should be tender, but not falling off the bone.
• In a small bowl, mix together the parsley, 1 clove of garlic and lemon zest. Sprinkle the gremolata over the veal just before serving.