Ingredients:

4 Five Marys Osso Buco Beef Shanks
1/4 cup olive oil
3-4 large carrots 
1 white or yellow onion
1 stalk celery
6-8 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup white wine
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cup chicken or beef stock
5 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper or M5 Spice Rub to taste

Instructions:

Open shanks and pat dry with a towel. Season with M5 spice rub or salt & pepper. Heat deep cast iron pan or dutch oven with half the oil and sear shanks until golden brown, turning to get a good crust but not too dark. Place shanks aside.

Add remaining olive oil and onion, celery and carrots diced small and cooked down in the pan until soft and slightly browned (optional: after browning, put above ingredients through a food processor or vitamix for a “soffritto” that can be made beforehand and stored in the fridge or freezer for your favorite recipes!)

Deglaze pan with white wine and reduce by half. Add remaining ingredients and bring mixture to a simmer.

Pour mixture over shanks and wrap pan in foil. Place in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes (or high heat on crock pot for 4-6 hours) reduce heat to 250 degrees (or crock pot on low 1-2 more hours) and cook until very tender. Meat should be falling off the bones. Let cool in braising liquid.

*Optional – return braising liquid to pan and reduce to a sauce-like texture, add butter or herbs to taste! Use sauce to spoon over Osso Buco to serve. 

Serve with Creamy Polenta or Mashed Potatoes and ENJOY!