Beef osso bucco garnished with gremolata (VIDEO)

Ossobuco or osso buco is Italian for “bone with a hole”
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BEEF OSSO BUCCO WITH GREMOLATA:
Ingredients:
2 medium sized carrots
2 sticks of celery
1 medium sized onion
*250ml white wine
Handful of parsley leave
2 cloves of garlic grated
1 tsp lemon rind
1 bay leaf
2 medium sized tomatoes chopped (you can also puree if you wish)
250g (1/4 kg) of osso bucco
3 Tbsp wheat flour
1 litre beef stock
Pinch of Freshly cracked black pepper
Salt to taste

Method:
Dust the osso bucco lightly with flour and ensure even coating. Shake off any excess
Heat the oil in a pan on high heat and then place the osso bucco in it. Sear both sides to brown slightly. Do not let them cook through. Idea is to brown them and add a dimension of flavour which beats just boiling the osso bucco for hours on end.
After 2 minutes of browning remove from heat and set aside to rest.
Meanwhile, check on the oil left in the pan. If it is too much reduce it and add your vegetables in the same oil. This will ensure that all the flavour left behind in the pan doesn’t go to waste. Osso bucco is a very rich dish and if the amount of oil used is not moderated the dish will end up being too oily. The bone marrow is very rich and upon boiling produces too much oil.
Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes until soft and then add the wine. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes until all the alcohol cooks out.
Add your osso bucco and beef stock to cover it. Let it come to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover it and simmer for the next 2 hours or until the meat becomes tender and practically falls off the bone. Point to note; I add my tomatoes and bay leaf half way through my cooking (after about 1 ½ hours but you can add them just before adding the osso bucco. It’s my personal choice).
Check for salt and add if necessary.
Take the parsley, garlic and lemon rind and mix well. Make sure the parsley leaves are finely chopped.
Serve the osso bucco and garnish with the gremolata. This dish can be served with rice, ugali, risotto, mashed potatoes. The list is endless.
*white wine is optional. If you do not like cooking with it, use either beef or chicken stock.
Bon apetit!