Osso Buco in the Slow Cooker

A trip to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx inspired this recipe.  The meat market there had some beautiful looking Osso Buco meat and I had to get it.  Of course, I had no recipe for it at home but I knew I would come up with something.  After doing some Internet searches and looking in my own cabinets, I came up with this recipe.  It contains the traditional ingredients plus a few things that I added to make it my own.  I also decided to make this in the slow cooker.  It allows me to make this slow cooked recipe on a weeknight.  This recipe can be made in the oven by placing all the ingredients into a pot with a lid instead of the slow cooker and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 2 hours.

Ingredients:

4 large Osso Buco veal shanks
1/2 cup flour
2 TBS olive oil
10 oz sliced mushrooms, I used Baby Bellas
7 small or 3 large carrots, cut into 1/2 pieces
3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 onion, cut into 1/2 pieces
2 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
3 large or 6 small whole cloves of garlic, skins removed
3 TBS fresh parsley, largely minced
1 TBS dried Italian seasoning
2 Bay leaves
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
1 cup red  wine
1.5 cups chicken stock

Here's how:

Coat the veal shanks in the flour.  I use a paper bag to do this. Place all the ingredients into the bag and shake.

 

Heat the oil a large saute pan.

Shake the excess flour off the shanks and place them in the pan to brown.  Brown them on all sides,
including the sides, for 2 minutes per side.

                                      

While the shanks are browning, set up the slow cooker.

Place the mushrooms, carrots, celery, onions, 1 can of the tomatoes, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, Bay leaves, salt and pepper in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Mix it all up.

Remove the shanks from the pan and nestle them into the vegetables in the slow cooker.

Add the wine and stock to the saute pan where the shanks were.  It will bubble up .Scrape the bottom of the pan to get the browned bits off. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour the wine over the top of the shanks in the crock pot.

Pour the second can of diced tomatoes over the top of the shanks.

 

Turn the cooker on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

Remove the shanks from the cooker and serve over polenta, egg noodles, rice or couscous with the sauce poured over top.