Sweet and Savoury Osso Buco

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, North American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 2 15

Total Time: 2 30

Servings: servings

Calories: 600kcal

Author: Lord Byron's Kitchen

These super moist and tender veal shanks are braised in a rich tomato, white wine, and brown sugar-based sauce. The secret to this delicious Sweet and Savoury Osso Buco, is allowing the meat to cook slowly over low heat in a covered pan for hours. One cannot rush perfection and this osso buco recipe is most certainly perfect!

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Ingredients

6 fillets osso buco (veal shanks)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup ketchup
2 bouillon cubes
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
6 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

Pat the osso buco dry with paper towels and season each side with the salt and pepper.
Over medium-high heat, add the olive oil to a Dutch oven and place the osso buco, flat side down, into the pot. Sear for 2-3 minutes and turn over each piece to sear for another 2-3 minutes. Once done, remove the meat from the pot and set aside.
Next, add the onion to the pot and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the onion is cooked through.
Add the garlic, stir into the onions, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Next, add the water, white wine (or more water if you want an alcohol-free version,) ketchup, bouillon cubes, dried thyme, brown sugar, and tomato paste. Whisk until well combined.
Use tongs to add the osso buco pieces back to the pot. Be sure to nestle them into the sauce so that they are touching the bottom of the pot. The sauce should be rising up the sides of the meat.
Place a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer for 2 hours, checking ever 30 minutes to see if the liquid has not evaporated too much. The sauce will reduce and thicken, but should never be lower than 1.5 inches in the pot. If the liquid evaporates too much, add water.
Once cooked, remove the ossu buco from the pot and carefully pour the sauce into a serving bowl or a little pitcher. Serve immediately.

Notes

Braising is slow cooking in a vessel that has a tight-fitting lid. The heavier the vessel and lid, the better your results, because it is important to lock in the braising liquid so that the osso buco is always kept moist. If you opt to cover a pan with aluminum foil rather than a proper lid, I cannot guarantee recipe success.

Osso buco has a tendency to fall apart. You can tie butcher’s twine around each piece before you begin to sear the meat if you wish to ensure the meat comes out of the pot in once piece. I did not use twice, but was very careful when removing the meat from the pot. I used a slotted fish turner to lift the meat out without break it apart. Remember, once fully cooked, osso buco is extremely tender!

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