PORK OSSO BUCCO

1-tablespoon olive oil
4 pork shanks
Salt & Pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped
½ cup carrots, chopped
½ cup celery, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic
3 anchovy fillets or 3 teaspoons anchovy paste (optional)
1 cup dry white wine
1-cup chicken stock (have some on reserve in case you need a little more)
One 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
Bouquet Garni (peel of 1 lemon, ¼ cup parsley sprigs, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf) 

Alternate Ingredients

Ingredients for 6 portions:

six thick-cut pork shank sections

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1 tablespoon butter

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup white wine

2 cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1/8 teaspoon ground clove, or *one whole clove

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried Rosemary

freshly chopped Italian parsley and freshly grated lemon zest for the tops

* if using whole clove, tie in some cheese cloth, along with the bay leaf and other herbs to create a “bouquet garni.”

How To Prepare At Home
Preheat your oven to 325º F. While the oven is heating up, prep your ingredients and then season the shanks with a little salt and pepper.
Once seasoned, heat the oil and brown the shanks in a large, ovenproof casserole pan or roasting pan. You can always brown them in a smaller fry pan, two at a time, and then transfer them to a bigger pan.
I use my Le Creuset oval French oven for all my braising and it works great. I can brown the meat and vegetables and then just throw the pan into the oven. It is cast iron under that gorgeous enamel coating producing nice even heat when cooking.
When the shanks are browned, remove them and add the vegetables to the pan. Sauté the vegetables for just a few minutes until they start to brown a little. They will continue to cook with the meat while braising. If the vegetables appear dry, add a touch more olive oil. You can add the anchovy at this point if you are using it.
Add the wine to deglaze the pan of all the brown bits of meat and vegetables that might be stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let the wine cook down until most of it is cooked off. Add the chicken stock and diced tomato (with juice) and bring to a boil.
As soon as you come to a boil, turn off the heat, add the pork shanks and Bouquet Garni, cover with a tight fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Let this cook for about 2 hours. When the meat is tender and falling off the bone, it's done.

To Make the Tastiest Sauce Ever When the meat is done, carefully remove the shanks from the pot trying not to let all the meat fall off the bone. Also remove and discard the Bouquet Garni. Using a hand blender if you have one, puree the sauce until smooth. If you don't have one, use your regular blender or food processor. You can also use a food mill too if you have one. 

Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.


How I Serve It


I like to serve this dish with mashed potatoes. I use a large soup bowl that's more like a deep plate. Start with the potatoes in the center of the bowl, cover the potatoes with sauce, and then top with a pork shank. There will be plenty of sauce so bring some to the table in a gravy boat in case your family or friends want some extra sauce. They will.


In the photo above, you see I served the pork osso buco with pasta. Two reasons; I didn't have potatoes on hand and even if I did, my kids really wanted pasta that night. Doesn't matter. The kids loved the meat and the sauce on the pasta was incredible.


This is an inexpensive, as good as it gets meal for this time of year. I highly recommend you give it a try.