By Madhuri Dey
Nov.19, (THAINDIAN NEWS) With so many cookery shows doing the rounds of the television, exotic food now finds way into common household frequently. It is chiefly because of shows like Top Chef and Top Chef Maters, that such [previously] unheard of dishes are attracting attention. One such delicacy is Osso Buco, also known as Osso Bucco in some regions. Its origin can be traced back to Milan, Italy. The main ingredient of this dish is veal shanks. The meat can be marinated with parsley, lemon peel and garlic. In some places people use rissoto enhanced with saffron to serve it. The shank needs to be cut in slices having a thickness of one cm. Thereafter it needs to be browned. At last it needs to be braised with White Wine and a variety of herbs.

According to the original Italian recipe, Osso Bucco was cooked without tomato. The Italians used bay leaf and cinnamon as the chief spices for making this dish. However, with time the process has changed and now people use vegetables like celery, onions and carrots to cook it. It tastes best when turkey meat is used but some people also prefer using chicken. The food tastes best when it is cooked over slow heat using the oven.

Nowadays some people use red wine in place of white wine. Lamb shanks can be used if turkey is not available or if the cook prefers animal meat. The olive oil needs to be extra virgin blend for the authentic taste. All the vegetables like celery, carrot and onion should be cut in thin slices. The Roma tomatoes are ideal for this dish. Over slow heat, the food takes around 5 hours to be cooked properly but it is guaranteed to be worth all the efforts.