Favorite Osso Buco For Lunch

 

Ever had osso buco? This Italian classic features succulent braised veal shanks topped with a gremolata, a lively accompaniment of parsley, lemon zest, and garlic. Our osso bucco recipe has a secret ingredient: pancetta!

Sally Vargas

What is Osso Buco?

"Osso Buco" means "hole of bone" because this marrow provides the rich flavor to the sauce. A marrow spoon, one of those long skinny spoons found in old sterling silverware sets, would come in handy with this dish, as the succulent shank marrow can be tricky to extract (I used the skinny end of a teaspoon).

I've made osso buco, an Italian dish of braised veal shanks, several times. I've eaten it in fine Italian restaurants but I've never really liked it until now.

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Did you know that making roasted asparagus in the oven is one of the easiest ways to prepare the vegetable? Start by coating the healthy green with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper, and maybe a little minced garlic. Roast the vegetarian favorite until it's lightly browned and tender. In this video, you'll learn helpful tips and tricks to make this easy, delicious, and satisfying dish. Finish the mouth-watering side by sprinkling some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Or, skip the cheese and make this dish vegan!

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Easy Roasted Asparagus Recipe

How to Make Italian Osso Buco

This is a great recipe that my father pulled from the web a few years ago, which uses pancetta, instead of olive oil, for the browning of the veal and cooking the vegetables.

Olive oil is the traditional method, so if you want to skip the pancetta, just substitute several tablespoons of olive oil.

But the pancetta adds a lovely flavor dimension, and is probably the secret ingredient that has me liking osso buco for the first time. So use it if you can.

The gremolata (parsley, lemon zest, and garlic) is an important garnish for this dish, don't skip it.