Winter Ale-Braised Veal Osso Bucco

...With herb-buttermilk dumplings, braised vegetables, and blackberry butter.

Literally translated as “hole in bone,” this traditional Italian dish is braised veal shanks which are cut across the bone, like a cross-section of the shank (a.k.a. leg).

The best part of Osso Bucco? The translation should give you a hint… There’s something inside the hole in the bone… It’s the marrow! You can use a marrow spoon (or any small spoon, or the handle-end of your fork, or your pinkie finger) to scoop out the marrow and eat it. It’s rich, creamy (almost slippery), ultra-savory, and delicious.

To make Pachamama’s Osso Bucco, our chefs braise it in Free State’s Santa’s Helper Belgian IPA along with thickly cut carrots, onions, and celery (the classic mirepoix vegetables). The shanks are served with a healthy amount of the braising liquid and nice big pieces of the veggies, with a couple of soft dumplings in there, too. It’s topped with fruity blackberry butter. Couple this dish with a glass of 2007 Prunotto 'Fiulot' Barbera D’Alba; it offers tastes of violets and plums, light tannins, and a nice earthiness.