I've always made it with veal shanks too, probably because I've never thought to try lamb. I am going to put lamb shank Osso Bucco in my "try soon" file for sometime the next few weeks. Thanks for the heads up on that! Alexa BTW - I use Weeds Recipe that she posted a long time ago.... Osso Bucco weed style 4 thick (2 1/2-inch) veal shanks, each patted dry and tied securely with kitchen string to keep the meat attached to the bone all-purpose flour for dredging the veal shanks 1/2 cup unsalted butter plus additional if necessary 3 tablespoons olive oil plus additional if necessary 1 1/2 cups dry red wine 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion 3/4 cup finely chopped carrots 3/4 cup finely chopped celery 2 teaspoons minced garlic 3 to 4 cups chicken broth and beef broth, 50/50 mix (replace with veal stock if you have it!) 6 oz can of tomato paste 8 fresh thyme sprigs, finely chopped, don't use stems if woody handful of fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (yields about 1/3 cup) plus more for garnish 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Season the veal shanks with salt and pepper and dredge them in the flour, shaking off the excess. In a heavy pot large enough to hold the veal shanks in one layer, heat 3 tablespoons of the butter and 3 tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat until the foam subsides, and brown the shanks, adding some of the additional butter and oil as necessary. Remove shanks to a platter. Add a little of the wine to the pot to deglaze, scraping up the brown bits clinging to the bottom and sides of the pot. Add the rest of the wine and boil until the liquid is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Reserve the wine reduction in a bowl. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in the remaining butter over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened. Add the shanks with any juices that have accumulated on the platter, the reserved wine mixture, and enough of the broth to almost cover the shanks. Spread the tomato paste over the shanks, add the thyme, parsley, bay leaf, and more salt and pepper to taste. Bring the liquid to a low boil, then reduce to a lively simmer. Braise the shanks, turning every half hour until very tender, about 2 hours. Remove the shanks to a platter, take off the strings and cover with foil to keep warm. Skim the fat from the pot, then strain the pan juices into a saucepan, pressing hard on the solids. **(see note below) Boil the juices until they are reduced and sauce begins to thicken. Add salt and more pepper to taste. Return shanks to pot to heat through. Serve over a simple risotto, garnish with more chopped parsley, and dont forget to provide some cocktail forks to get at the marrow. Heaven!! Notes: **I dont do the straining the vegetables step. I cut my veggies super fine, and leave them in the sauce. I have also tried pureeing the sauce so it is smooth, but I like the itty bitty chunks of veggies in there. The last time I made it, I used my food processor to do the veggies - a real "aha!" moment. Cut so much time off of prep, and the veggies were super finely chopped, adding texture to the sauce but not too much. Using red wine in this dish is not the norm every recipe Ive seen calls for white wine. I like the flavor of red much better, plus I get to drink the rest ;) Fresh or canned tomatoes are typically used, but I like the richness of the tomato paste. If you like it a little "beefier" tasting, use all beef broth instead of the chicken/beef mix. Osso Bucco is traditionally served with gremolata on top, but I dont care for it. Here is the recipe in case you like it: Gremolata 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves (preferably flat-leafed) 2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest 1 tablespoon minced garlic Sprinkle over cooked shanks.

Osso Bucco is my all-time favorite dish. It is true comfort food. I serve mine over a bed of creamy risotto (bottom layer) and sauteed spinach (middle layer).

There's a reason you cannot find a comparable cooker today. Those old cookers weren't safe. The problem is, those old cookers didn't get hot enough to cook food safely--so the newer ones are hotter to prevent the growth of bacteria. I don't think you're going to be able to find a new crockpot that cooks as slowly as those old ones do. And that's a good thing--your family's health is far more important. Look, why not adapt your crockpot recipes to FAST cooking. I haven't found a crock pot recipe yet that I can't convert into a 30 minute (or less) meal. The less time you run your appliances, the more energy $$$ you save. The faster you cook your food, the more nutrients and flavor you conserve. I'd rather cook 20-30 minutes in the evening, and serve my family healthy, fresh food, than save 5 minutes of my prep time and give them something that's been heating all day. Isn't that the complaint people generally have about cafeterias and other inexpensive restaurants? That the food has been sitting around and sitting around? If it's not good enough for you when you go out to eat, WHY would anyone consider that adequate for the family they love? Sorry, I get a little over-the-top about crockpots. It's such a wasteful (in so many ways) way to cook food, and I'm such a proponent of fresh, nutrient-packed dishes for my family, that I really become passionate when this topic comes up.

I love pork and sauerkraut. I made Sauerkraut Soup recently and it was really good (FYI - It did not freeze well since the meat and veggies were so well cooked after the first cooking, they didn't hold up well to freezing and reheating. It still tasted good but everything sort of fell apart.) Sauerkraut Soup Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook Copyright 2000 1 lb. smoked Polish sausage, cut into ½-inch pieces 5 medium potatoes, cubed I only added 2 or 3 2 large onions, chopped I added half of a very large onion 2 large carrots, cut into ¼-inch slices I added 3 or 4 carrots 42-45 oz. can chicken broth 32-oz. can or bag sauerkraut, rinsed and drained 6-oz. can tomato paste 1. Combine all ingredients in large slow cooker. Stir to combine. 2. Cover. Cook on High 2 hours, and then on Low 6-8 hours. 3. Serve with rye bread. Here is a link that might be useful: See my blog for a picture of the soup