Easy Osso Buco Recipe
Have you ever wanted to know what the fuss is about with osso buco and how to cook Osso Buco? In that case, this is your opportunity in creating this slow-cooked falling off the bone sensation.
My Osso Buco recipe is alcohol and gluten-free, with clear and simplified instructions from start to finish making this accessible for cooking skill level.
High-quality Tasting Meat
I will show an easy and bulletproof way of transforming this unique cut of beef or veal into a melt in the mouth experience that will wow your friends in this Osso Buco recipe.
It always starts with quality single ingredients. High-quality tasting meat is all about the lifestyle of the animal.
Was the breed a traditional heritage breed
Has the cow kissed by the sun
Did the cow consume adequate grass, which was from mineral-rich soil?
Was the cow social, with a good upbringing close to mum
Was it slaughtered in a low-stress manner?
Did the butcher adequately cut and prepare the meat with appropriate ageing and health practices.
These are all the questions that should be asked about the quality of your meat. You can only find out these questions when you speak to the retailer. Unfortunately for most, the supermarket or online retailers do not give out this information. This information is typically only found in smaller farms or retailers, or farmers markets that are incredibly proud of what they sell. They want to showcase and support the producers, lead by example, and educate their customers on the importance of investing in food not for taste but also the environment. They could probably talk to you all day about their produce.
The ingredients we use for our recipes will make or break the recipe. Always strive for the best quality available, and for each of us, that will be different. There is a price factor with high-quality meat produce. That’s when purchasing less sexy cuts such as Osso Buco or organ or ground meat trumps for saving money. But also for the nutrients they provide.
Muscle meat has a place for providing the backbone for every protein structure. Still, it requires minerals and vitamins, plus other factors to influence its utilisation in the body.
Osso Buco is a nutrient-dense recipe and was once upon a time a peasant dish as the shins of the cow or veal would be less cherished by the wealthy. They would seek the tender cuts of meat that didn’t require hours of braising to yield tenderness. But with a bit of a touch of cooking skills and patience, we can transform a tough cut of meat into something similar to braised beef ribs. Osso Buco is not just about beef. There are plenty of herbs, onions, carrots and tomato included, which give this recipe a more Italian / Mediterranean flavour. You can add red wine to make that, even more, the case, but I have avoided that.
Health Benefits of Osso Buco
Many paleo and ancestral health experts deemed in this space that bone marrow is the pinnacle of nutrition for humans. Consuming bone marrow is a nose-to-tail approach which encompasses the whole animal, not just the prized lean meat. But using the gizzards, heart, testicles, the bones, connective tissue (also includes the blood) and everything.
Many cultures have used bone marrow as food throughout history. Some anthropologists believe that early humans were scavengers rather than hunters in some regions of the world. Traditional communities that consumed large animals did not ignore the marrow hidden away in the bones; they valued the marrow as a highly nutritious food.
As we all know, meat, especially fatty meat, contains more than just a lopsided macronutrient ratio. Meat or any animal product is the best, densest source of fat-soluble vitamins around. The liver, heart, brains, ribs, eyes are all price cuts for their taste, their nutrition, and their various bioavailable micronutrients that come loaded in every delicious bite. Plus, marrow isn’t just static stuff inside the bones. It fulfils many roles. It’s made of osteoblasts (which form bone cells using minerals), adipocytes (fat cells), fibroblasts (which are responsible for bone resorption). Another reason why animals of all stripes are drawn toward bone marrow is the taste. A subtle, creamy nuttiness, sometimes sweet, always extremely rich, is not to be casually disregarded. The taste is incredible, either eaten straight up with a touch of sea salt or as part of a rich, hearty stew. Its high-quality fuel is imbued with vitamins and minerals. Still, it’s delicious fuel that’d be worth eating even if it were devoid of nutrition. Luckily for us, though (and counter to what we’re taught about food), what appeals to our taste buds on a fundamental level usually also nourishes. (Adeyeye, 2014)
Bone marrow can be found in almost any bone that holds cancellous (spongy) tissue. Humans have evolved to cherish the rich, gelatinous and high satiating bone marrow for good reason, energy density. Humans evolved to cherish all the animals, not waste any precious energy or part. That would mean consuming the fat of an animal and its bones, knowing that there was unique goodness in the bone marrow. The bone marrow, which is included on Ossa Buco (beef shin), has been cooked in soups and stews or broths for centuries.
The bone marrow contains unique stem cells for the body, which produce white blood cells and red blood cells, which later mature, helping to support the immune system and transport oxygen and other nutrients. Bone marrow also contains adiponectin, an adipokine and works synergistically with leptin in the brain with hunger/satiety pathways and also to help regulate insulin sensitivity.
What Is Osso Buco
Osso buco is a classic Italian dish that includes bone marrow. The cut used in osso buco is the shin which keeps the bone attached and centred around the muscle meat. The muscle of the shin is pretty strong and gelatinous intramuscularly and around the bone tissue.
The method of cooking osso buco is a decadent method of slow cooking the bone-in shin. The meat is cut horizontally across the bone so that the marrow is exposed.
There is the option of using veal/calf or using beef. The veal is similar to pork tasting and takes a shorter cooking time but is typically more expensive. The beef version is more decadent and takes longer to make tender.
The naturally tougher meat from the strong leg muscles becomes very tender when cooked low and slow and braised in a liquid such as tomatoes and its fat and juices. The result is tender meat, and the flavorful, decadent marrow is a nourishing treat to finish off the traditional but outstanding Moorish dish.
The final dish is typically served with a gremolata, a three-ingredient condiment that includes parsley, lemon zest and garlic. The complimentary side dish is discussed below.
What To Serve With Osso Buco?
With Osso buco heritage coming from Italy, what is Osso Buco served with is typically grain and carbohydrate-based, such as
Rissoto
Polenta
Mashed potatoes
However, if you’re like me, you make your own rules. I typically serve my recipe of osso buco with green beans with a touch of parmesan cheese and arugula or watercress as a side salad and leftover rice and plantains, which is what I have shown in this recipe. Additionally, cauliflower mash would be a good lighter alternative to complement the Osso Buco richness.
Easy Osso Buco Recipe
Serves: 5
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 6 hours
Skill level: Easy to medium
Osso Buco Ingredients
1 kilogram of Osso Buco
1 tbsp Ghee or coconut oil or tallow
1 large red or white onion - finely sliced
4 garlic cloves - finely diced
1-inch knob of ginger - skin removed and grated.
1 carrot - diced into 1 cm pieces
1/2 tbsp unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
2 tsp coconut aminos
800 ml tomato passata
1/2 bunch (15 grams) each of Fresh rosemary, sage, and parsley leaves.
(You can use the parsley stalks - thinly slice them)1 tsp whole or freshly ground black peppercorns
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
To serve with:
Side salad - shown in picture. You can find the recipe here.
Cauliflower mash
Other options are listed above.
How To Cook Osso Buco
Prepare all ingredients so that you are ready to go.
In a heavy and wide saucepan (ideally with a lid) heat on medium-high heat.
Add 1/2 of the fat of choice. Then add the beef shins to the pan. This might require batch cooking depending on your pan size.
Lightly brown both sides which will take 3 minutes per side. Once cooked on both sides, remove from pan onto a plate.
Add the remaining oil. Add the onions to the pan, stirring occasionally. Allow them to soften, not burn.
Add the carrots, parsley stalks, half of the rosemary and sage leaves. Cook the carrots for 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and ginger. Add back the meat to the pan. Mix well with the vegetables.
Add the liquid next. Apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos, salt and the tomato passata.
Bring to a light simmer. Then put the lid on. Either leave the pan on the stovetop with lid on or transfer to a preheated fan assisted oven on 150c.
Cook for a minimum of 4 hours. I like to cook for 6 hours.
Whilst cooking, prepare the side dish of choice.
Remove from the oven. Serve up onto a bowl to fully enjoy the sauce. Garnish with the remaining fresh herbs and season to salt.
Osso Buco Nutrition Facts
per serving (based on 5 servings not including side)
Calories: 480
Protein: 52
Carbs: 14
Fat: 24
Fibre: 2.6
Vitamin B1: 0.1mg
Vitamin B2: 0.2mg
Vitamin B3: 6.5mg
Vitamin B5: 1.1mg
Vitamin B6: 0.6mg
Vitamin B9: 8.6ug
Vitamin B12: 2.9ug
Choline: 4.6mg
Vitamin A: 2525IU
Retinol: 33.1ug
Vitamin C: 4mg
Vitamin D: 2.3IU
Vitamin E: 1mg
Vitamin K: 1.6ug
Calcium: 26.5mg
Copper: 0.2mg
Iron: 4.1mg
Magnesium: 46mg
Manganese: 0.1mg
Potassium: 732mg
Selenium: 4.5ug
Zinc: 7.4mg
Omega 3: 0.2g
Omega 6: 0.2g
Reference
Adeyeye, E., 2014. Bone Marrow: A Source of Nutritionally Valuable Fats as Typified in the Femur of Ram and Bull. Open Journal of Analytical Chemistry Research, 2(1), p.1.