Autumn or winter is the time for soups and stews, but also the time for delicious braised dishes such as goulash, roulades or roasts. When it gets colder outside, there’s nothing better than a warming soup or a hearty stew.
On my blog I have already presented you some soup recipes as well as braised stew dishes, for example a simple & easy pea stew or a delicious goulash with venison. In today’s post I’ll show you a delicious braised stew dish with beef shanks, plus a delicious brown sauce with onions and brown mushrooms. Have fun cooking!
Cooked/Baked today: Braised Beef Shanks (“Ossobucco”) with Brown Gravy & Mashed Potatoes
Difficulty: Medium
Preparation Time: 3 hours
Category: Main Dishes, Soul Food, Autumn & Winter Recipes, Stew Recipes, Recipes with Meat, Hearty Recipes, Recipes with Beef, Recipes with Mushrooms, Recipes with Onions
Our Recipe rating:
Braised Beef Shanks (“Ossobucco”) with Brown Gravy & Mashed Potatoes
Braised Beef Shanks (“Ossobucco”) with Brown Gravy & Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- About 1 kilogram of beef shanks
- 300 grams brown mushrooms
- 200 milliliters red wine (semi-dry)
- 4 – 5 teaspoons mustard
- 2 large onions
- A teaspoon each of rosemary, thyme & sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon sugar beet syrup
- Cornstarch + a sip cold water Wasser to thicken the sauce
- Salt & pepper
- Oil + butter for searing
- Parsley for garnish (optional)
- Mashed potatoes for serving (here is the recipe)
Required kitchen gadgets, helper & preparations:
- Large pan or pot with lid
- Plate for beef shanks
- Small cup or jar for cornstarch mixture
Instructions:
…for braised beef shanks with brown gravy:
Season the leg slices (shanks) with salt and pepper, then spread or brush all over with mustard. Heat a large pan (or pot or roaster) with a good splash of oil, put the leg slices in the pan and fry them on both sides for 3 – 4 minutes over medium to high heat. Meanwhile, clean the mushrooms and halve or quarter them depending on their size. Peel the onions and chop roughly.
Preparing & Searing Beef Shanks
Lift the fried beef shanks out of the pan and set aside briefly. Then add a tablespoon of butter as well as mushrooms and onions to the pan and fry for another 2 – 3 minutes, turning occasionally, thus removing the first roasted substances from the bottom of the pan. Next, stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste, let it roast briefly and then deglaze with around 200 milliliters of red wine. Allow the red wine to boil down almost completely while stirring.
When that’s done, season everything with 1 teaspoon each of rosemary, thyme and paprika (sweet), put the leg slices back in the pan and pour in about 750 milliliters of water so that the beef shanks are just covered with water. Bring the contents of the pan to the boil and simmer with the lid closed over low heat for 2 to 2.5 hours, turning the leg slices once halfway through the cooking time.
Cooking Braised Beef Shanks
After about 2.5 hours, carefully lift the beef out of the pan and briefly set aside again. Season the sauce with 1 tablespoon of sugar beet syrup and a good pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Also, to thicken the sauce, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with a small sip of cold water, pour into the sauce while stirring and simmer until the desired consistency is reached.
Preparing Brown Gravy & Serving Beef Shanks
Finally, put the beef back in the pan, warm it up again briefly in the hot sauce & then serve together with mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes, pasta or spaetzle. Have fun cooking!
Video Tutorial:
Watch the video tutorial to see the recipe and the preparation method precisely (German Audio only, English Subtitles available):