Slow cooked recipes are the best comfort food, especially in winter, packed full of nutrients, not to mention fab' to freeze and have on hand for day you know you are going to have a busy one.
Pro tip - buy the best quality meat and broth you can. That’s where most of the flavours are 🤤
Ingredients
- 4 shanks about 2 inches thick if you can
- Sea salt and pepper
- Flour for dredging. I use cassava to make it gf but you can use all purpose. Cassava is a straight 1 to 1 swap with recipes
- Oil for browning the shanks. I used 2 big heaped tablespoons of coconut oil but if I could tolerate it I would’ve used ghee or butter. Or if I had on hand, I would use beef fat
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 (400g) can of chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup of beef stock (can use chicken if out of beef)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Instead of the bay leaves and thyme, in this recipe I used Prime Seasoning. It has beef liver, bay leaves, oregano and turmeric along with a few others boosts
Method
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C)
- Season the shanks generously with salt and pepper, and then dredge them in flour, shaking off any excess
- Heat your chosen fat in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat - I just used my biggest iron pan. Add the shanks and sear until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the shanks from the pot and set them aside
- Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the pot and cook until the vegetables are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute
- Pour in the canned tomatoes and stock, and then stir to combine. Add the bay leaves, thyme, (or Prime Seasoning) and half of the lemon zest
- Return the shanks to the pot, making sure they are submerged in the sauce. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven
- Bake for 2.5 to 3 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling off the bone. I find I need just over 3 for how tender I like it. This recipes keeps really well just bubbling away, slightly longer is always better, as long as you have enough liquid
- Remove the pot from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs
- Serve the Osso Buco hot, garnished with fresh parsley or lemon zest, and with a side of creamy mash or broccolini. Even garlic bread if it tickles
- I love sweet potato and parsnip mash with a dash of coconut cream (again would use butter if I could instead of coconut)
Enjoy beautiful x let me know if you try it x
