While the pairing of ossobuco and rice is very good, the pairing of ossobuco and grilled or fried polenta is sinfully delicious.

Number of Servings
4

Ingredients

• ¼ to 1/3 C olive oil-4 large
• 2-inch thick veal shanks, from the hind part of the veal
• 1 C all-purpose flour spread on aluminum foil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 to 4 T unsalted butter
• 2 ½ C finely minced yellow onion
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced
• 1 C dry Marsala wine, such as Florio, imported from Italy
• 2 heaping T double concentrated Italian tomato paste diluted in 2 ½ C homemade chicken broth or low sodium canned

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy ovenproof pan or casserole, and place on medium-high heat.

Dredge the shanks in flour, shake off the excess, slip them into the pan, and season with salt and pepper.

Cook until shanks have a nice golden brown color on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer shanks to a plate.

Discard the oil from the pan, add butter, and heat on medium-low heat. As soon as the butter foams, add the onion and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to pick up the flavorful bits and pieces attached to the bottom.
Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until it is golden and soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and stir less than a minute.

Return shanks to the pan. Raise the heat to high and add the Marsala wine. Stir, and move the shanks around gently, until the wine is almost all reduced and its thick glaze coats the onion, about 5 minutes. Add the diluted tomato paste and bring to a simmer. (The broth should come more than halfway up the sides of the shanks, but should not submerge them.)

Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and, with a knife, make several slits in the foil to allow the steam to escape.

Place the pan in the middle rack of the over and cook until the meat is very tender and begins to fall away from the bone, about 1 ½- hour. Add a little more broth if the sauce reduces too much. Baste and turn the shanks a few times during cooking.

Suggestions
Place the shanks on individual warm serving dishes. Check the consistency of your sauce. If too thin, put the pan over high heat and cook it briskly until it has a nice thick consistency. Pour some sauce over the shanks and serve with slices of grilled polenta, or with rice.