Osso-buco de dinde

Osso buco or osso bucco is a specialty of Northern Italian cuisine and is made of cross-cut veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine and broth. It is often garnished with gremolata and traditionally served with either risotto alla Milanese or polenta, depending on the regional variation. My version uses turkey shanks (or cross cut sections of a turkey leg) which cook down to be fall-off-the-bone tender and absorb all of the flavorful components of the dish.

Part 1 - Mise-en-place

Ingredients

4-6 turkey 'shanks' made from the legs, cut into rounds and twined.
A few tablespoons of flour or cornstarch for dredging
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 onions or several shallots rough chopped
2 medium carrots, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
3 - 4 crushed garlic cloves
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Fresh branches of Rosemary, Thyme and Bay leaves
A pinch of whole cloves (6 or more)
1 glass dry white wine
3 cups stock
3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Method

Pat dry turkey shanks with paper towels to remove any excess moisture and season each with salt and freshly ground pepper. Dredge the shanks in flour (or gluten-free cornstarch) shaking off excess.

In a large Dutch oven pot, heat oil until smoking. Add tied shanks to the hot pan and brown all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove browned shanks and reserve.

Part 2- Adding the vegetables

Method

In the same pot, add the vegetables (onions, carrots and garlic) and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and mix well. Cook the paste which is coating the vegetables for a few minutes and then add the white wine. Next add your stock and reduce for several minutes.

Part 3 - Bringing it all together

Method

Return browned shanks to the pan and add the herb branches, salt and cracked pepper. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone. Check every 30 minutes, turning shanks and adding more stock as necessary. The level of cooking liquid should always be about 3/4 the way up the shank, but not completely submerged.

Carefully remove the cooked shanks from the pot and serve with the liquid and vegetables on polenta.

You can reduce the cooking liquid to make a sauce by straining into a sauce pot and heating at boil for ten minutes or until thickened. Finish the dish with a spoon of 'gremolata' on top – roughly chopped parsley, a bit of crushed garlic and lemon zest.