World's easiest Osso Buco

I'm pretty sure I've admitted to having a crush on Bill Granger before. He's just so cool, and his food is ah-mazing. Okay, so I've never eaten at his restaurant but I do have two of his cook books and am a serious addict of his TV series - so that counts!

This recipe has been a winner for me on many an occasion - I've converted it to the slow cooker and it's fabulous, just be sure not to overcook it otherwise the meat turns to mush and it all comes away from the bone, not making for the prettiest styling.

And it's SO easy.

This one's for the bobbed one.

Osso Buco

Serves 4
12 pieces veal shank, about 4cm thick (I think this is very generous, all depends how big your pieces are)
plain flour, to dust
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
60mL extra virgin olive oil
60g butter
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
250mL dry white wine
1 bay leaf
125mL veal or chicken stock (or more - I usually add more)

Gremolata
2 Tbspns finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 Tbspn finely shredded lemon zest
1 garlic clove, crushed

Dust each veal shank with flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan or wide pan. Add the veal shanks and cook, turning as necessary, for 10 minutes or until well browned; you may need to do this in two batches. Remove and set aside. Add the butter, garlic, onion and celery to the pan and cook over a low heat for about five minutes until soft.

Arrange the veal shanks in the pan in a single layer. Pour in the wine and add the bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the stock and simmer for a further 1.5 - 2 hours or until the meat is very tender and you can cut it with a fork. Check the liquid occasionally during simmering and add more stock or water if necessary.

Transfer the veal shanks to a plate. Discard the bay leaf. Increase the heat under the pan and cook the sauce for 1-2 minutes until thickened. Season to taste and return the veal shanks to the sauce. Cool and freeze in a suitable container at this stage, or if serving straight away, prepare the gremolate and finish as described below.

To reheat after freezing, defrost in the fridge for the day, or overnight, then place in a covered casserole in a preheated oven at 160C for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through.

For the gremolata, stir the chopped parsley, lemon zest and garlic together in a bowl. Stir half of the gremolata through the osso buco. Serve sprinkled with the remaining gremolatea and with mash, polenta or risotto.

Recipe: Bill Granger, Feed Me Now
Picture: SMH