Fields Edge Osso Buco

Prep time – 20 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes at mealtime to finish the stew and make the polenta

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F

2 to 3 lbs of Fields Edge Osso Buco (beef shank)
1 large onion rough chopped
2 to 3 stalks of celery chopped
4 carrots chopped
1 12 ounce can of diced or crushed tomatoes
1 cup red wine (I use cabernet sauvignon. I think that the tannins enhance the flavor of the beef)
2 to 3 cloves of garlic chopped
2 bay leaves
2 to 3 springs of fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme
½ cup chopped parsley for a garnish
1 quart of Fields Edge Bone Broth (this is actually more like a stock than bone broth)

Lay the vegetables in the base of a Dutch oven or heavy stew pot. Place the shanks on top of the vegetables. Add the wine, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and broth. It should just cover the meat.

Cover the pot and place in the oven. Forget about it for 7 to 8 hours. Why so long when most recipes say 2 to 3 hours? This is grassfed beef not veal. Most recipes are for veal.

Remove the meat from the stew to a plate to cool. When you can handle it, carefully remove the bone, not losing the marrow. Remove the connective tissue and discard. I break the meat into bite size pieces.

Strain the vegetables from the broth. Place the broth on the stovetop. Add a few tablespoons of the hot broth to a ½ cup of flour and stir until smooth. I add it to the broth through a strainer to make sure that there are no lumps. I bring the broth to a simmer and stir continuously until the flour cooks and the gravy thickens.

Taste the gravy and add salt and/or pepper as needed. Add the vegetables and the meat back to the gravy. Ladle out onto the cooked polenta and top each serving with a marrow bone. Garnish with chopped parsley

Polenta
I use the heirloom varieties, Floriani or Hickory King, ground from the flint corn that we grow at Fields Edge. These varieties have a deep, nutty flavor that only need a little salt and butter.
1 cup polenta
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
3 TBL butter
Bring the water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Slowly sprinkle the polenta into the water, stirring continuously. Make sure that there are no lumps.
Reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir every few minutes making sure as the polenta cooks it does not get lumpy. Remove from heat when thick and creamy (about 25 to 30 minutes).