My first attempt at "Osso Bucco": Italian comfort food. Excellent!

[DemoTex]

I braised the veal shanks in white wine and chicken broth with root vegetables, tomatoes, and Italian spices. The cooking smells were heavenly. It tasted even better. I now have a new dish for my repertoire! I served the Osso Bucco with rice and zucchini sauteed in olive oil with Parmesan cheese.

[Gormy Cuss]

1. Sounds lovely.

I don't like veal but the recipe has many of my favorite ingredients. Mmm,mmm.

[DemoTex]

3. Can be done with lamb shanks too.

Or ham hocks, as Canuckistanian posted.

[Gormy Cuss]

8. Lamb shanks, the food of the Gods

:)

[DemoTex]

9. I agree.

I like lamb shanks better than veal shanks. Thick, meaty, fall-apart-done lamb shanks. With root vegetables, including turnips. Oh, my!

[Canuckistanian]

2. My wife makes "Osso Porco"

It's done with ham hocks. Delicious!

[DemoTex]

4. That sounds good, too.

Veal shanks are hard to find in a city the size of Greenville, SC. I found frozen veal shanks at the New York Butcher Shop. Fresh Market can order fresh veal shanks, and I'm hoping the new Whole Foods will carry specialty meats, too. Good to know about the "Osso Porco" version. Lamb shanks work quite well, too.

[tonekat]

5. Now that's impressive!

Now you need to buy a set of those special little narrow forks to dig out the marrow...

[DemoTex]

7. The beauty of eating alone: Manners are suspended!

Suck, suck, suck that marrow out! I could not do that tomorrow night, when Dr. D and her mother are going to be up here at the mountain house. It will be the first time Dr. D has been up here since mid-August (before Sirius died), and it will be the last time before we close the sale on 3/15. That's the reason we are selling. Dr. D only made it up here four weekends in 2005.

I'll have possession until April 1, so maybe she will make it back up for one more weekend. I'm up here packing for the move. Bittersweet.

[Lisa]

6. my landlady's dog was very cross with me, last time I made it ...

She thought those lovely big bones on the counter were all for her! (I did give her a nice uncooked one with plenty of marrow, but she kept giving me accusing looks all evening.)

I didn't have chicken broth, but I made do with onion instead, and it was still pretty good.

[DemoTex]

10. I buy the 32-oz "boxes" of organic chicken broth.

I always keep a couple of gallons on hand. I make a lot of soups, gravies, and gumbos, so the chicken stock is required. When an opened box gets a little old in the refridge, it goes on some left-over rice for Nick-Nick's chow. He loves it!


Nick-Nick

[Lisa]

11. thanks for the tip!

I've been known to have chicken broth over rice (with chopped scallions or whatever greens are in the garden) for lunch too.

By the way -- knowing what we now know -- you might want to outfit your doggies with body armor, if they plan on sauntering over to do their business on Dick Cheney's lawn!

[Rabrrrrrr]

12. Ooh!

:popcorn: