Osso Bucco

I had these beef shanks in my freezer over the holidays and had wanted to make Osso Bucco, a dish I hadn't done in a while. When I last made this and brought it to the birthday party of one of our professors in DLSU, they said nakakalimutan na daw nila ang pangalan nila.

My mom had one thing to say when I told her I was making it, " . .don't forget the grimolatta. . . " Grimolatta?!? what the hell was that? Thanks to the internet it was found. Here is what I did tonight and my son and I barely spoke to each other during dinner.

2 beef shanks (choose the ones with smaller center bones)
500 gms. Australian beef stew cuts (from SM)
one small onion chopped fine
one long stalk celery chopped fine
two small carrots chopped fine
a cup of diced tomatoes (as red as you can get them)
a chicken cube
1.5 liters of water
one sprig of fresh rosemary (eh, kung wala eh di half a tsp of dry)
half a tsp of dry basil
2 large bay leaves
1 tbsp salt
dash of pepper
olive oil
1 tsp of flour
a cup of wine (Shiraz was all i had, but if you cant drink it, dont use it)
1/2 cup of chopped parsley, and
the zest of one lemon - use a cheese grater careful just to get the yellow parts

to start, thaw the meats completely and pat dry.
to this add a tbsp of salt, dash of pepper and the flour, coat evenly.

Heat a large deep dutch oven, to this add the olive oil and brown the meats, as in brown them. After 8-10 mins take them out (there should be some nice caramelization on the meats and on the bottom of the pan. In the same pan sautee the onions, carrots, celery until translucent (yep a classic mirepoix) then add the tomatoes
as the tomatoes wilt throw in one chicken cube and crush it, then add the wine. Use your cooking spoon to scrape away the goodies stuck to the bottom of the pan, and as the liquid simmers, add about a liter of your water.
Now place the meats back into the liquid and lower the flame to its lowest setting. This should sit in the mixture, slowly simmering for 1.5 hours.

Sit back relax and get a beer, in fact get a whole bunch of beers. Don't allow the stew to dry out, add a bit of water every 10-15 mins if the liquid reduces below the level where the meats are no longer submerged.

When the meat is soft enough (use a fork), start chopping your parsley and grating your lemon. This is the grimolatta!!

Let the Osso Bucco sit in the pot for 10 mins and the sauce will thicken slightly by itself. Ladle the stew onto a bowl and sprinkle a generous amount of your grimolatta onto the top before serving. I served this with some potatoes I had quartered and fried.

With plain rice or crusty bread and a warm Cabernet Sauvignon, panalo.