One of my favorite Italian braises. I’ve used veal shanks, beef shanks, turkey legs (or drumettes), and it’s always delicious. If you use turkey legs, have the butcher slice them to look like shanks and use only the thicker parts (the rest use for broth). For this recipe, I found some great lamb shanks, so I thought I’d try it. I rarely see pork shanks, but noticed that they’re advertised this week.
I used my combo slow cooker to sear, cook veggies, and slow cook. If you want to use the oven, use a heavy ovenproof pot, cook everything in it, add liquid, cover and cook in 325 oven for about 2 1/2 hours.
Osso Buco (Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 2 TBSP butter
- Salt and pepper
- Flour for dredging
- 2 lamb shanks, cut 2" thick
- 1 carrot, cut in chunks
- 1 celery rib, but in chunks
- 1 small red onion, cut into chunks
- 1/4 cup olives (your choice)
- 4 large cloves garlic
- 1 TBSP tomato paste
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 sprig mint
- 3-5 sage leaves
- 1 tsp Moroccan seasoning (or 1/8 tsp each cinnamon, clove, cumin, ginger, and cayenne)
- Salt and pepper (pre-made Moroccan seasoning has salt in it)
Instructions
- Heat oil and butter in a skillet.
- Salt and pepper the shanks, then dredge in flour. Sear on all sides, then remove and set aside.
- Place carrot, celery, onion, olives, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse, until everything is small diced. Place in skillet and cook until veggies soften.
- Stir in tomato paste.
- Place veggies in slow cooker, and stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Place shanks in the liquid. Cover and cook on high for about 4 hours or until shanks are tender.
- Serve with potatoes, rice, cornbread, or polenta. For brighter flavor sprinkle with lemon zest.