My dad, Antonio (a.k.a. Tony), inspired this dish. Like a painter’s body of work, his culinary life is marked by distinct periods. When he went through an osso buco period, I decided that if I was going to be making a lot of osso buco, it was going to be a Mexican osso buco, spiked with lime, chiles, cilantro, and garlic.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 2
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 2
Season the veal shanks all over with salt and pepper. Place the flour on a plate and dredge the veal shanks in the flour, shaking off the excess.
Step 3
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add the veal shanks and cook for 5 minutes per side, or until browned all over. Transfer them to a plate.
Step 4
Add the onion, carrot, celery, chiles, and minced garlic to the same pot. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to brown. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits. Cook for 2 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Then stir in the canned tomatoes with juice, beef broth, and 3 tablespoons of the lime zest.
Step 5
Return the veal shanks to the pot and push them down into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and then turn off the heat. Cover the pot tightly, and carefully transfer it to the oven. Braise the veal shanks for 2 hours, or until tender.
Step 6
Uncover the pot and continue to cook in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Meanwhile, combine the cilantro, whole garlic cloves, and remaining 1 tablespoon lime zest in a food processor and pulse 5 or 6 times, or until finely chopped.
Step 7
Transfer the veal shanks to a platter. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper, and pour it over the veal shanks. Sprinkle the cilantro mixture generously over the osso buco, and serve.
