The Italian dish, osso buco, is one of my favorite comfort foods.  A slow braised, cross-cut veal shank hailing from northern Italy, that is often served with either rice or creamy polenta.  Although the braising liquid may vary, the results are always tender, fall-off-the-bone meat swimming in a lovely and flavorful sauce, with a last bite of tasty bone marrow.  Mmmmm, mmmmmm good.

Having come upon lovely veal shanks at Publix last week, I decided to try a new recipe for osso buco, not from one of my favorite Italian cookbooks, but actually from one of my favorite French cookbooks, Around My French Table, by the incredible Dorie Greenspan.  Her version is still classic in terms of the preparation, cooking method and tasty results, but her version puts a Prouvençal spin on it.  The veal is flavored with basil, herbes de Provence, tomatoes and orange zest. Yes, orange zest. The flavor combination of orange and tomatoes is actually quite extraordinary; the orange brings out the tomatoes natural sweetness and gives a nice brightness to the braising liquid.  This is an osso buco recipe that is quite unique—but then again, I wouldn’t expect anything less from Ms. Greenspan.

(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)

Tagged: Around My French Table, bone marrow, braised meat, braising, carrots, Dorie Greenspan, French, oranges, osso buco, rice, tomatoes, veal