3-4 hours, stove top or oven at 300
4 bone in beef shank cuts
2 Tbl. Olive oil
1 med. yellow onion diced
2 carrots diced
3 ribs of celery diced
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 can of plum tomatoes crushed (approx. 14 oz.)
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups beef stock
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbl. chopped parsley
Bring beef to room temperature, pat dry with paper towel, salt and pepper both sides.
Add 2 tbl. Olive oil to a 5 qt. Heavy Dutch oven over medium heat, when oil starts to shimmer, add the beef pieces a couple at a time. Do not crowd the pot. Get a nice brown caramelized color on both sides, 3-5 minutes, remove beef to a plate to rest.
In the same pot, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Sweat the veggies, stirring, loosening the browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. When softened 3-5 minutes, add the garlic, stir briefly then add the wine to deglaze the pan. Add the plum tomatoes, 1 cup of the beef stock, the bay leaves and 1/2 the parsley. Stir to combine, then add the beef shanks and accumulated juices back into the pot, nestling down into the sauce evenly. Add additional beef stock to mostly cover the meat. Put on the lid. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting that will keep a very slow simmer, or place in a low oven, about 300 degrees.
Simmer 3 hours up to 4 hours depending on the size and toughness of the shanks. Test the meat with a fork. It should fall off the bone and be fork tender.
Top with reserved parsley
Serve over polenta, or with orzo, or fideo, or mashed potatoes.
My favorite method is to remove the meat to a warm platter, keep warm, 10 minutes before dinner, and stir in a cup of orzo or fideo right into the pan juices with the veggies. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then serving the meat on top the pasta.
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