Politically Correct Osso Buco

About author / Sarah Christine Bolton

Coffee addict; professional food writer; food fusion. Her slow cooker recipes go above and beyond your normal crockpot fare.

Substituting is a big part of my cooking experience. When I was growing up, I often cooked for my parents and three siblings. Every one of them had various allergies, likes/dislikes, etc., that required a lot of creativity to adapt recipes. My mom was all about vegetables and whole grains; my dad just wanted to know where the meat was.

My mom used to have a Betty Crocker cookbook that she used for making everything from lentil soup to fruitcake to salad dressing. I made her promise that someday I would get the cookbook. And sure enough, one Christmas a few years ago, she gave it to me.

Aside from the oil stains and smears of cake dough, the cookbook is filled with my mom’s handwritten notes and substitutions. Always health-conscious, she substituted honey for sugar, cut the fat and salt in half, and used chicken and turkey in place of beef.

I still use the cookbook on a fairly regular basis. Whenever I flip through to find a recipe and see my mom’s handwriting, it makes me smile, almost like she’s in the kitchen with me.

I was recently on a group trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands. During the seven-day trip, I was able to dine at some of the most incredible restaurants and eat some amazing food. I think I had lobster six out of seven nights, lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, and some very unique items, like avocado ice cream and conch meat. Of course, because we were eating at high-class restaurants, some of the items on the menu included foie gras, caviar, and veal.

After having my very first taste of foie gras ever, I was left very unimpressed. It was a peanut butter and foie gras pate, and basically just didn’t work. At least for me. I’ve never cared much for caviar. The texture, the shape, and the taste are just all wrong. So, that just left veal. But, I have a moral disgust against veal, partly because I have raised calves, from tiny little wavering creatures, into full-grown adult cows. But mostly because I think that force-feeding of any animal is cruel and unnatural.

So, when I found a recipe for osso buco, which is made with veal, I wanted to make it. The problem was that I definitely was not going to go buy veal. I did a little research and was surprised to find many osso buco recipes with other types of meat substituting for the veal. And for me, substitution is a natural part of my cooking experience.

Based on the rather sketchy information I could gather, osso buco is a dish from Milan. The name means “bone with a hole” or “hollowed bone” and refers to the veal shank bone with a rich marrow filling that is used to make the dish. The other important feature of osso buco is the layering of flavors. You start by searing the meat to lock in the flavors and juices. Then, the meat is slow-cooked with vegetables and broth, and finished with a garnish of Gremolata, which is a mixture of parsley, lemon, and garlic.

Traditionally, osso buco is served with saffron risotto, although I imagine substitution could come into play here as well.

Serves/Makes: 4

• 1 turkey breast, cut into 4 pieces
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups reduce-sodium chicken broth
• 1 large sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 large sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 whole cloves

***Gremolata***

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced rosemary leaves
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper