There are many versions of the Northern Italian dish osso buco. This one uses slow oven braising to make the meat flavorful, fork tender and moist.
A RECENT DINNER IN AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT reminded us how much we like actual Italian cuisine. We’re also fans of Italian-American cuisine, but it is something slightly different.
True Italian cuisine is usually regional. As Delish tells us, “this boot-shaped country is comprised of 20 regions, each producing its own culinary treasures.” The osso buco pictured above is a prefect example. It hails from Lombardy, the northern Italian region tucked up against Switzerland.
Italian-American cuisine is based primarily on the cooking of southern Italian immigrants who arrived in waves in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They came to escape poverty, food insecurity and political turmoil, bringing their own culinary traditions, but needing to adapt them to ingredients available here in the U.S. Further, because they were finally being paid well enough to afford better food—soft bread, flour, meat, cheese, eggs, and even olive oil, dry pasta and cheese imported from Italy—their straightforward, simple cooking techniques (cucina povera or “cuisine of the poor”) evolved into the hearty, classic, often red sauce-driven Italian-American cuisine that has become one of the most popular cuisines in America. So popular, in fact, that in my hometown St. Louis—home to a robust Italian-American community—people joke that if you don’t serve mostaciolli at your wedding reception, you’re not legally married.
Back to the osso buco. Our recent restaurant visit reminded us of this northern Italian specialty. Cross-cut veal shanks are slow-cooked with vegetables, white wine and broth, and served with gremolata—minced garlic, lemon zest and parsley. While it’s traditionally served with risotto or polenta, we served ours with short pasta tossed with pan juices and vegetables. You’ll find our recipe here.