What is Ossobuco?
Ossobuco (Italian: osso “bone”, buco “hole”) is a traditional specialty of Lombard cuisine made with a crosscut of veal shank. This is braised with vegetables, white wine, and broth. It is often garnished with a gremolata and traditionally served with either risotto or polenta. I think which you use depends on which regional variation of this dish is being prepared. I have chosen to prepare and cook my dish with spareribs and serve it with good old, mashed potatoes.
Variations of this dish
I have read that there are two types of ossobuco, a modern version that has tomatoes and the original version which does not. The older version, ossobuco in bianco, is flavoured with cinnamon, bay leaf, and a gremolata. The modern and maybe more popular recipe includes tomatoes, carrots, celery, and onions. The gremolata, left as an option, to be added if you chose. As I mentioned earlier, veal is the traditional meat used for ossobuco. Dishes with other meats such as pork have also been called ossobuco. My variation I could describe as a mix of both traditional and modern. Leaning more towards the modern.
Ingredients (4 portions)
800 g spareribs
1/2 dl wheat flour
2 cooking onions (brown onions)
3 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
approx. 300 g Celeriac (root celery)
3 tbsp. butter or oil
2 1/2 dl white wine
500 g crushed tomatoes (chunky variety)
1/2 dl freshly pressed orange juice
1/3 pot of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Gremolata
1 lemon
1 clove of garlic
3 tbsp. chopped parsley
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 ml salt
1 ml black pepper
Side dish
mashed potatoes and/or
green sallad
Preparation
- Divide the ribs between the bones and roll in wheat flour.
- Peel onions, garlic and root vegetables. Slice the onions and cut the root vegetables into approx. 2×2 cm cubes.
- Brown the meat in 2 tbsp of the butter (for 4 ports) and place in a casserole. Fry the onion, garlic and root vegetables in the rest of the butter and add to the pot with the meat.
- Add wine, crushed tomatoes, orange juice, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and cook over low heat with the lid on for about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat comes away from the bones.
- Gremolata: Grate the zest of the lemon and mix with the garlic, parsley, oil, salt and pepper.
- Remove the thyme twigs. Season the stew with salt and pepper and top with the gremolata.
- Side dish: serve with mashed potatoes and a green salad.
Credit for this recipe I want to give to a Swedish magazine called “Buffert”