Here's the recipe I use. Never failed me yet.
Osso Buco with Gremolata
6 pounds veal shank – Tied with vine
flour for dusting
¾-1 c olive oil
1/2 pound pancetta
2 T butter
3 med cloves garlic minced
1 c celery coarse chopped
1 c carrots chopped
1 med onion chopped
2 c white wine (Pinot Grigio preferred)
1 t dried thyme (or a few twigs fresh thyme)
1 t dried basil – or use fresh basil.
2 cans Italian style tomatoes (crush with your hands)
Sea salt
freshly ground pepper
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Render pancetta in skillet and reserve fat. Set aside pancetta.
Salt, pepper and then dust veal shanks with flour. Heat 1/4 olive oil in large fry pan and brown shanks on all sides. Do in batches and avoiding crowding the pan. Set shanks aside on platter. Also, set aside the fry pan they were cooked in.
Using a heavy 12 qt stockpot, melt butter, add pancetta fat, garlic, celery, carrots and onion. Continue cooking over medium heat 7-8 minutes, stirring often.
Heat and deglaze the fry pan the shanks were browned in with 1 cup of white wine. Pour deglazed liquid into stockpot (still cooking on med heat). Add veal shanks, cooked pancetta, rest of wine, thyme, basil, remaining olive oil, any juices from platter shanks rested on, and tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and continue cooking on stove for 1/2 hour. Stir every 10 minutes, then move to oven and cook for at least 2 hours. Veal should be tender and come apart with a fork easily.
Spoon Gremolata (see below) over shanks, after they have been sauced. Serve alone with crusty Italian bread, or over rissotto or polenta.
Gremolata
2 T lemon zest (grated and then finely chopped)
2 med garlic cloves minced to a paste
3 t Italian parsley minced
Prepare 1 hour in advance. Combine in bowl. Add salt and pepper.
