Lamb OSSO Bocco

We have a wonderful farm down the road from us that grows the best lamb and beef, it’s grass fed, doesn’t have all the BS that commercial meat has, and it’s absolutely delicious!

To make Lamb OSSO Bocco I start with these wonderful lamb shanks. When braised the meat just falls off the bone and has so much flavor.

To start you need to sear your shanks, throw a little kosher salt and fresh ground pepper on them, heat some olive oil in a hot pan. Place your shanks in pan and brown all sides. When browned set aside. With the pan still hot add onion, sauté for a couple of minutes, then add chopped celery, carrots, fennel bulb, parsnips. Once softened a bit add a couple cups of Chianti wine and beef broth and 10oz tomato sauce. With a garlic press add your garlic. Add some thyme, oregano, parsley and sprigs of rosemary. Let simmer about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add your shanks back into pan with your veg and wine sauce mix, put a lid on it and bake in oven at 325 for 2 1/2-3 hours, or until you can use a fork to pull the meat easily from shank. Keep the lid off the pan and continue to cook for about 1/2 hour to thicken the sauce, while it’s finishing start your creamy polenta.

Once the polenta is done, put some in the bottom of your bowl, then your shank and ladle some of the juices and veg, and top with Parmesan and or Asiago cheese.

Lamb OSSO Bocco

4 lamb shanks

1 medium onion diced

2 celery stalks diced

2 carrots diced

1 good sized parsnip diced

1 fennel bulb diced

2 cups Chianti

1 cup beef broth

10oz tomato sauce

at least 5 gloves garlic, more if you love garlic

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried parsley

4-5 sprigs fresh rosemary

kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

Creamy Polenta

1/2 cup dry polenta

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup milk

1Tbsp butter

1/2 cup feta cheese

1/4 Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary

kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

In a cast iron skillet put milk and broth and butter on medium heat, once it starts to bubble add the polenta and whisk, turn heat down to low and continue to whisk(follow package instructions on time) until the polenta is almost done, add your cheeses, rosemary, salt and pepper, whisk it in. At this point it should be creamy and aromatic, this is where I will put a lid on it, turn off the heat for its last few minutes of cooking, it can go from creamy to chunky real fast if ya keep to much heat on it.

Polenta recipe serves 2-3 persons