Instant Pot Osso Bucco
A warm, comforting meal in under 2 hours
It has gotten to that time of the year. You have to scrape your windshield every morning, it is somehow dark both before and after work, and you are already busier than ever. You are getting prodding texts from your family members about your love life, and Hinge is feeling like a desolate wasteland. In times like this, I like to curl up with something warm and comforting, that feels like a luxurious hug. And that means a braised meat.
Normally, a braised meat takes hours in a Dutch oven in order to reach the shreddy, delightful texture that you would be looking forward to. But with the advancements of modern culinary technology, we are able to cut that time in thirds.
This is done with the mighty power of the instant pot. Use it on sauté to sear the meat and vegetables, then add your liquid and cook on high pressure for one hour, let pressure release, and then you have a beautiful piece of meat that seems like it took hours, but really didn’t.
The other tricky part of this recipe is the osso bucco itself. Osso Bucco is a Spanish cut of meat, and is essentially the back shank being cut into round slices, so you end up with large round pieces with a hunk of marrow bone in the middle. I got mine from a local farmer at our farmer’s market, but you should be able to ask any actual butcher and find it pretty easily.
This variation on the recipe riffs off of Julia Childe’s Osso Bucco. It is comforting and warm and goes really well with a glass of red wine, served over mashed potatoes or polenta.
Instant Pot Osso Bucco
Ingredients
1/4 medium onion chopped
1 small carrot chopped
2 cloves garlic sliced
1 slice veal or beef shank about 1 pound
1 cup white wine Pinot grigio/Italian white preferred
1/2 cup passata or crushed tomatoes
1-2 sprigs fresh herbs I just used 1 sprig of oregano
Instructions
1.    Roughly chop your onion, carrots, and garlic.
2.    Preheat your Instant Pot to saute high and add 1-2 tablespoons oil. Pat dry your shanks and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
3.    Once your instant pot is hot enough (for me, that's about 2 mins past when it beeps) Brown your shanks 1-2 minutes per side.
4.    Remove the shank and add your onion, carrots, and garlic. Cook until soft or about 2-4 minutes.
5.    Add the wine and deglaze, scraping the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Reduce until about half the wine is left, about 2-3 minutes.
6.    Add passata, herbs if using, and the shanks to the pot. Set pressure to high and braise for 1 hour. Quick release when done and serve, garnish with grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, red pepper flakes, and flat leaf parsley as desired.