This week on French Fridays with Dorie we are diving into beef with osso buco a l’arman (page 270). All month long I have been checking the markets I shop at to see if they carried it and veal shanks proved to be hard to find. My husband said we needed to find a butcher, something we never do. My husband found a market that carried veal shanks in a neighborhood called little Persia. I have to say that I was confused on the amount of veal to buy. Jordon’s market sold whole shanks so I bought one and they cut it for osso buco. I ended up with 2 1/2 pounds of meat and more slices than I needed but I don’t think they would have sold it by the slice. I paid $18.99 a pound for the meat. Now with my $65 bag a meat I was determined not to screw up this meal, it would be an expensive mistake.
My husband was a big help with this meal, he is arguably the better cook when it comes to meat. He tied the beef up like Dorie suggested so it would stay together while cooking. I thought we dried the meat out but it was cooked perfectly. All the vegetables were soft and flavorful. We do eat all foods in our house but we are not big beef eaters so I don’t think I would make this again. I do feel it was a badge of honor to make osso buco and it comes with bragging rights. My book club came over to my house and saw Around My French Table out with the tagged dates. One of my friends said “you made osso buco”? Yes, yes I did.
These recipes are part of an international cooking group working our way through Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan. To see what others did with this recipe go here.
CafeMomCooks 
It's nice to check osso buco off my bucket list! It was a winner at our house, too.
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It's a great dish to impress company with, for sure! If only they knew how easy it actually is!!
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Ooph! That's an expensive meal! Thank goodness you liked it, for $65. Yowza.
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Whew – that is a steep priced meal, I am glad to hear you enjoyed it.Fortunately, I was able to find some nice beef shanks at a local co-op for ~14$ for three pieces. It was good to cross this one off the list.
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Wow! Glad you enjoyed it at that price. Its nice to have a little help in the kitchen, isn't it?
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I had to laugh at your comment about bragging rights. There have definitely been a few challenges in this book which were a great experience but not necessarily in need of repeat. I told a friend recently that I have made eclaires before and she was VERY impressed:-) Thank you Dorie!
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This was a favorite in my house! I paid 13.45 a pound! Compared with what my west coast neighbors paid, it was a bargain! It might be because of the large Italian population in my area…all the butchers seemed to carry Osso Buco! We loved it, and it will definitely turn up again on my dinner table! Glad you both enjoyed it!
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Veal is easy to find here, but still at $16-$17 a pound. Delicious and worth every penny!
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Glad it worked out given the price. Compared to taking the family out to a restaurant for osso buco, it probably doesn't seem quite as expensive. For other reasons, I went with lamb shoulder, which was only $4 a pound. You deserve the bragging rights!
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Your's looks just like mine and we aren't big beef eaters, other than my son. I was thinking of making this with chicken thighs?
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I am happy that Tricia was able to find the veal at the farmer's market. We enjoyedthis recipe, it is a favorite of ours.
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How great that you turned the hunt and preparation of the osso buco into a fun activity with your husband. Your leftovers must have been super tasty 🙂
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I couldn't agree more, you deserve bragging rights and should be very proud of yourself (and, thanks to your husband who sourced it and tied it together). I am going to make this later in the month and am looking forward to the experience. I have only eaten Osso Bucco 5 or 6 times and only in high-end restaurants. Kinda like Beef Tartare, not so sure I want to make it at home. Keep wearing that Badge of Honor. So happy that FFWD impressed your book club.
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I love that you got gourmet points with your book club for this. I think once we're finished the book, we all deserve a badge of honour – we've tackled so many techniques. Of course, Dorie's instructions have made it awfully easy for us.
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Ow, $65. I got away with some beef shanks for $16. The end result looks lovely, though.
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This was such a great recipe! Sous Chef also is frequently the better \”beef\” chef. I think you are in California also – wondering if the high price of veal was a California thing. I'm in the Palm Springs area. Kudos for the extra credit from your book club!
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Well done! Both of you in the kitchen deserve the bragging rights! Freezing any leftovers will be great as it was better with reheating! I made it once with lamb shanks and the sauce twice!
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I loved this post. Great team effort trying something new!
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