Ossobuco with carrots

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 1 ½ kg beef leg slice(s)
• some olive oil
• 1 pack of soup vegetables
• 150 ml red wine, dry, strong
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 ½ liters of water
• 2 tbsp salt
• pepper
• 25 g pancetta or guanciale
• 5 cloves garlic
• some sage
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• Juniper berry(s)
• allspice berries
• ½ tube(s) Tomato paste, 3-fold concentrated
• 1 can artichoke hearts (drained weight approx. 240 g)
• e.g. peas or olives

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours; Total time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes

Beef leg slice with artichoke hearts

Cut the leg pieces into 3 to 5 pieces each, depending on their size, removing the marrow bones and setting them aside. Pour olive oil into a large pot and sear the pieces of meat on all sides, if possible in two batches. In the meantime, clean and chop the vegetables (they don’t need to be too finely chopped), then add them to the pot with the meat. Deglaze with the red wine and simmer for 2-3 minutes, then add the balsamic vinegar and water, along with some freshly ground pepper and salt. Reduce the heat to medium. Peel and halve the garlic cloves and slice the pancetta (if it hasn’t been sliced ​​already), adding both to the pot. Add a few sage leaves (fresh or dried) and a pinch of sugar, then stir everything gently. Place the marrow bones on top, cover, and simmer over low heat for a good 2 hours, stirring occasionally. I like to season the broth with a bay leaf, 3-5 juniper berries, and 3-5 allspice berries, crushed in a mortar and pestle, and place them in a sieve. After 2 hours, fish out the meat pieces and the marrow bones (and the sieve if necessary). Remove the marrow from the bones and add it to the broth along with the tomato paste. Purée the broth with a hand blender; this creates a delicious sauce. If it’s too thick, thin to the desired consistency, but be sure to season again with salt and pepper. Drain the artichoke hearts (you can use the liquid to thin the sauce if you like) and quarter them. If you like, you can also trim off any excess connective tissue from the cooled pieces of meat. Then return the meat and artichoke pieces to the sauce and stir everything together. For variations, you can also add peas and sliced ​​olives at the end. Be careful with the latter, though, as overly strong olives can quickly overpower the actual flavor of the dish. Let everything simmer on low heat until ready to serve. Like almost all braised dishes, the dish is really easy to prepare in advance and usually tastes even better the second day. I can highly recommend pasta (e.g. fusilli or penne rigate) or white bread (e.g. pane toscano) as a side dish to soak up the sauce! Purists, however, serve the dish as a classic secondo piatto without a filling side dish, but after a filling first course. P.S.: Unlike the somewhat lighter-tasting Ossobuco alla Milanese, which is made with slices of veal shank, for this recipe you should use shanks from adult beef for its stronger flavor. Gremolata is optional.