Beef ossobuco

Small cylindrical piece from the back shank. It can be found in the lowest part of the leg, as the calf. Its meat is tough, but it has a lot of flavour and gelatine.

It is usually taken from beef, veal and cattle: A tough and sinewy piece, it is often used as a whole and it is either boiled in cold water (in order to obtain rich broths or to add it to stews), or cooked in boiling water so that the meat keeps its juices. It can also be cut and added to pulse stews (chickpeas, lentils...). In some cases (i.e. beef) it can be used in stews and ragù, finely chopped or as an ossobuco, without mixing it with another type of piece. It belongs to the second category.