Spanish Beef Osso Buco with Red Wine Braise
Braised beef shank in a rich vegetable and red wine sauce, slowly cooked until tender. Aromatic vegetables including leek, carrot, and onion create a deeply flavored sauce that can be served chunky or blended smooth. A traditional Spanish preparation requiring minimal hands-on time after initial browning.
Ingredients
- 4 ½ lb beef osso buco
- 3 cups (710ml) beef broth
- 1 cup (230ml) red wine
- 2 onions, peeled and cleaned
- 3 garlic cloves
- 4 carrots, peeled and cleaned
- 1 leek, peeled and cleanedadditional onion1 onion per leekneutral
milder flavor
- 2 bay leavesthyme sprigs2 sprigs per leafneutral
different herbal note
- salt, to taste(optional)
- black pepper, to taste(optional)
- 1 splash olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Peel and clean the vegetables, then cut into small pieces
- 2
Heat a splash of olive oil in a pot over medium heat
- 3
Add vegetables to hot oil with salt and fry until softened
- 4
Add bay leaves and osso buco, browning the meat on the outside
- 5
Pour in red wine and cook until alcohol evaporates
- 6
Add beef broth and simmer over low heat for 50 minutes
- 7
Serve meat with vegetable sauce spooned over top, or blend sauce until smooth and reheat for a few minutes if preferred
Tips
Blending the vegetable sauce creates a smoother consistency that coats the meat better
Allowing vegetables to soften before adding meat ensures even browning
Cooking over low heat after adding broth keeps the meat tender and prevents toughening
Good to Know
Refrigerate in airtight container up to 3 days. Freeze up to 3 months.
Prepare through braising step, cool, and refrigerate. Reheat gently over low heat before serving.
Serve with crusty bread to soak up sauce, or alongside rice or pasta
Common Mistakes
Add wine before meat is sufficiently browned to avoid pale color
Skip the low heat setting and use high heat to avoid tough, stringy meat
Omit the softening step for vegetables to avoid raw, undercooked texture in sauce
Substitutions
different herbal note
milder flavor