Osso Bucco

The other day when I made the Pea and Parmesan Risotto I also made osso bucco, braised veal shanks.  Pictured above are the shanks just after I browned them.  I couldn't get a good picture of the finished product, but trust me, this is a wonderful melt in your mouth dish. Part of the pleasure is the wonderful marrow in the round bone.

About 2 1/2 pounds veal shanks cut across the bone, about an inch thick
Flour for dusting
4 strips bacon, diced
Salt and pepper
1 cup diced onion
1 large stalk celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 minced garlic cloves
Olive oil
2 to 3 Tbl tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 to 3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
Instant flour (Wondra) for thickening

In a large pot cook the diced bacon until crispy. Remove and reserve the bacon, leaving the drippings.
Season the meat with salt and pepper and dust with the flour.
Brown the meat on both sides in the bacon drippings and then remove from the pot.
Adding a little olive oil if necessary, brown the onions, celery, carrot and garlic until the onion softens.
Add the tomato paste and cook for about 2 minutes.
Add the wine and cook, scraping up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, for about 3 minutes.
Return the shanks to the pot and add 2 cups of the broth, the bacon bits and the bay leaf.
Bring to a simmer and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the meat is very tender, adding more broth if necessary.
After 45 minutes, remove the meat and place in a baking dish.
Bring the sauce to a boil and reduce a bit.  Add some instant flour to thicken.
Pour the sauce over the meat and cover and bake in a 350F oven for twenty to 30 minutes.