Mike Roy's Crock Pot Osso Buco

Mike Roy was a chef who shared recipes on the radio and wrote cookbooks many years ago. This recipe comes from his cookbook of crockery cooking. This is a delicious dish, fit for company and is my most favorite thing to make in the crock pot. The meat becomes extremely tender and succulent. And be sure to spoon out the marrow from the bones!

• Ready In: 7 hrs 35 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 3  veal shanks, cut in 3-inch pieces (see directions)
• 3  tablespoons flour
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 1⁄2 cup port wine
• 2  tablespoons  chopped parsley
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1  lemon, zest of, grated
• 3  anchovies (do not omit)
•  salt and pepper
• 1  cup bouillon or 1  cup broth
•  hot  cooked noodles or  rice, to serve 4 to 6 persons

Directions

1. In this area you generally find veal shanks cut in slices approximately 1-1/2 inches thick. About 9 of these slices will fit in a 4-quart crockery cooker.
2. Dredge these shank slices in flour. Heat 1 tablespoon each of oil and butter in a skillet and brown a few shanks at a time on all sides; do not crowd slices. Add additional oil and butter as needed throughout browning process. Do not omit this step of browning the shanks -- this develops a much better flavor for the osso buco dish.
3. Remove shanks to crock pot as browning is completed. When all shanks are browned, pour remaining ingredients into the skillet and stir to blend and to loosen the browned bits that remain.
4. Pour this mixture over the meat. Cover and cook 7 to 8 hours at LOW heat.
5. Remove shanks from liquid, and, if the sauce is too thin, boil to reduce it. Or thicken it with a little roux (butter and flour mixed together). The anchovies will have melted into the sauce.
6. Serve shanks on a bed of hot cooked noodles or rice topped with the sauce.