Braised Veal Shanks with Grandma’s Gremolata

Fabio’s Italian Kitchen
Fabio Viviani

First and foremost, I want to go on record as saying that this is not my Nonna’s gremolata. It’s Fabio Viviani’s.  So in the interest of full disclosure, I wanted to get that out there.  (For those that aren’t familiar with the word, Nonna is the Italian word for Grandmother, or Grandma.)

Braised veal shanks (otherwise known as Ossobuco) are one of my favorite meals.  Cooked properly it is one of the most tender and delicious dishes ever.  It tends to be a pricier cut of meat so I always take extra care in the preparation and tend to hover over the stove to make sure it cooks properly.  The secret to a tender ossobuco is to cook it low and slow, and I tend to stir it a lot to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.

I’ve made this with and without the gremolata and it’s delicious either way.  The gremolata is more like a garnish for added flavor, but you can easily serve it without the gremolata and still enjoy it.

 

Ingredients
For the gremolata:
1 cup parsley, finely minced
4 small to medium cloves of garlic, very finely minced
1/2 cup lemon peel, finely minced
1/4 cup capers, finely minced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

For the veal:
6 veal shanks, 10-12 oz. each
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups red wine
3 tablespoons butter
2 medium red onions, diced small
3 carrots, peeled and diced small
3 stalks celery, peeled and diced small
10 medium cloves garlic
3 bay leaves
10 large sprigs fresh rosemary
5 sprigs parsley
3 cups beef stock
2 cups Fabio’s Tomato Sauce

  1. Mix all the gremolata ingredients together in a bowl and place the bowl in the refrigerator
  2. Preheat oven to 325° F
  3. Season shanks on all sides with salt and pepper
  4. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven and sear the shanks over medium heat until browned.  Remove the shanks from the pan and set aside.
  5. Add the wine to the pan, scraping the bottom to loosen and dissolve any brown bits.  Once the wine is reduced by half and there are no brown bits stuck on the bottom of the pan, remove the reduction from the heat and drizzle it over the shanks.
  6. Return the pan to the burner and add the butter.  When it has melted, add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and all the herbs.  Sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes, then urn the heat up to hi and add the beef stock and tomato sauce.
  7. Add the veal shanks and juices, evenly distributing them in the pan.  Bring the liquid to a simmer, then cover the pan with aluminum foil perforated in a few spots to release steam, and place it in the oven.  Cook for about 2 hours.
  8. About halfway through, turn the shanks over in the pan and place back into the oven.  The shanks are cooked when the meat falls easily off the bone when pulled with a fork.  If the sauce is still too watery, remove shanks from the pan, set aside, and reduce the sauce to desired thickness on the stove.
  9. Serve with about 1 tablespoon of gremolata on top of each portion.

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