“Marry Me” Venison Shank Ossobuco
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Ossobuco, Italian for ‘bone with a hole, ’ is traditionally made with cross-cut veal shanks that are braised low and slow with white wine and tomatoes to create a sauce that is both unctuous and savory. I planned this recipe before I even had a deer in the freezer this year and couldn’t be happier with the results. The marrow from the bones, or as chef Anthony Bordain called it, “God’s Butter”, pairs beautifully with a piece of crusty bread. This recipe serves two people and is the perfect meal for a romantic Valentine’s Day. Enjoy!
Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cook time: 4 hours
Servings: 2
Looking for more shank recipes? Try out this Curried Axis Shank with Wild Lambsquarters recipe by Adam Berkelmans!
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“Marry Me” Venison Shank Ossobuco
2
servings15
minutes4
hoursKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
4 cross-cut Venison shank steaks
1 Qt chicken or bone broth
1 C pino grigio wine
1 C heavy cream
1 Tsp avocado oil
¼ C all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp salted butter
1 ½ C sliced cremini mushrooms aka baby bella’s
½ C finely chopped white onion
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp concentrated tomato paste
1 C sun dried tomatoes
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
Bakers twine
Preparation
- Bring shanks to room temperature about 30 minutes before cooking by laying them on a baking sheet. Secure each piece with bakers’ twine so they remain intact while cooking in the sauce. Pat them dry and season with salt and pepper. Set aside while prepping other ingredients.
- Pre heat pan on medium heat. Drizzle with avocado oil.
- Dredge shanks in flour, coating each side.
- Turn temp up to high heat and sear steaks. About 30 seconds on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Lower heat to medium and add butter. Scrape the remnants from the meat on the bottom of the pan to incorporate into the sauce.
- Add onion and garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes
- Add mushrooms and tomato paste to pan. Be sure to turn frequently. Cook about another 5 minutes.
- Add remaining all-purpose flour and stir until completely incorporated to the mushroom and onion mixture.
- Pour in wine and chicken broth. Turn heat up so it is gently boiling between medium and high temp. Let liquid reduce by half, about 20 minutes.
- Turn heat down to medium. Stir in heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Sauce should start to thicken some more.
- Add sun dried tomatoes, lemon juice, and steaks to the pan. Sauce should be almost to the brim of each steak. Cover with lid and braise for 3 to 3 ½ hours.
- To serve, remove steaks from the pan and add penne that’s been cooked al dente to the sauce. Cut baker’s twine from each steak and set on top of the pasta, along with more grated parmesan cheese.
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