Braised Veal Shank (Jarret de Veau)

Step 1

Pat the veal shanks dry with paper towels, pressing gently on all sides until the surface feels dry to the touch — this helps them brown better.

Step 2

Sprinkle salt and pepper generously on both sides of each veal shank, rubbing it in with your fingers so it sticks to the meat.

Step 3

Cut the carrot lengthwise in half, then cut each half crosswise into 2-inch chunks roughly the size of your thumb knuckle.

Step 4

Cut the celery stalks on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces, tilting the knife as you cut so each piece looks like a slanted oval.

Step 5

Cut the onion in half from root to tip, then place each half flat side down and cut crosswise into 1-inch-thick wedge-shaped pieces.

Step 6

Smash the garlic cloves with the flat side of a large knife by laying the knife flat over a clove and pressing down with the heel of your hand — the skin will separate easily.

Step 7

Place a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat and pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Step 8

Heat the oil for 90 seconds until it shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, then carefully lay each veal shank into the pot.

Step 9

Let the shanks sit undisturbed for 5 minutes until the bottom surface turns deep golden brown, like caramel.

Step 10

Flip each shank over using tongs and let the other side brown for another 5 minutes until it matches the first side.

Step 11

Transfer the browned shanks to a large plate using tongs and set aside.

Step 12

Add the carrot chunks, celery pieces, and onion wedges to the same pot with the remaining oil and browned bits on the bottom.

Step 13

Stir the vegetables constantly with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes until they soften and the onion turns translucent (you can see through the pieces).

Step 14

Add the smashed garlic cloves and stir for 30 seconds until the pot smells strongly fragrant.

Step 15

Stir the tomato paste into the vegetables and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, so it darkens slightly and coats the vegetables.

Step 16

Pour in the red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot until the liquid looks uniform.

Step 17

Let the wine simmer over medium-high heat for 3 minutes until it reduces by about half and smells less strongly of raw alcohol.

Step 18

Stir in the canned crushed tomato, beef broth, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf until well mixed.

Step 19

Return the veal shanks to the pot, nestling them into the sauce so they are mostly covered by liquid.

Step 20

Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then remove the pot from the heat and cover it with a lid.

Step 21

Transfer the covered pot to an oven preheated to 325°F and cook for 2 hours until the veal is very tender and the meat pulls easily from the bone when you poke it with a fork.

Step 22

Remove the pot from the oven and carefully lift out the veal shanks with tongs onto a serving platter.

Step 23

Pour the braising liquid and vegetables through a fine-mesh strainer held over a large bowl, pressing gently on the vegetables to extract their liquid, then discard the solids.

Step 24

Skim off the fat floating on top of the strained sauce using a wide spoon, tilting the spoon to let the liquid flow back into the bowl.

Step 25

Pour the defatted sauce over the veal shanks and serve immediately while hot.