Recipe: Peruvian osso buco
Gastón Acurio is without a doubt the most important Peruvian chef of all times. In his Facebook page he promotes Peruvian restaurants back home and overseas and shares recipes with his followers. Like Peruvian mums, he doesn’t use quantities. He might indicate approximates (e.g. “a lot”, “a pinch”), but you have to figure out exact amounts by yourself. This is not hard to do if you have any experience with cooking Peruvian dishes but can become daunting if you don’t.
The first time I made Gastón’s recipe for osso buco I eyeballed the quantities and the result was amazing. I didn’t write the recipe down so I “had to” make it again. The recipe calls for ají panca, which is a dried Peruvian red chilli. You can find it (whole or in paste) in some shops like Fiji Market, Tierras Latinas and online (just Google “buy aji panca”). If you can’t be bothered just use any red chilli paste.
Gastón recommends serving it with pasta. My (low carb) version features cauliflower mash, but you can make it starchier (and more Peruvian) if you serve it with cassava.
Peruvian osso buco
Ingredients
Osso buco
- 4 pieces osso buco (about 1.5 kg)
- 2 tbsp fat of choice (tallow or ghee recommended)
- 2 medium carrots grated
- 2 celery stalks grated
- 1 red onion minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp ají panca paste
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup tomato passata
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp porcini powder (or minced dried and rehydrated mushrooms)
Cauliflower mash
- 750 g frozen cauliflower
- 5 tbsp butter
- salt and pepper
Instructions
Osso buco
- Heat 1 tablespoon of fat in a heavy-bottomed pot. Brown osso buco and reserve.
- Lower heat, add 1 tablespoon of fat, carrots, celery, onion, garlic and ají panca. Cook until vegetables are soft (5-10 minutes).
- Add meat, season with plenty of salt and pepper, add passata, broth, wine, bay leave and porcini powder.
- Cover and let simmer until tender (about 2.5 hours). Towards the end of the cooking period make the mash (instructions below).
- Remove the meat the pot and, if desired, crank the heat up with the lid off to reduce the sauce.
- Serve with cauliflower mash.
Cauliflower mash
- Steam cauliflower until soft.
- Mash in a food processor, add butter, and season with salt and pepper.
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4 Comments
Fabulous Sebastian
I also do not care much for measurements. Add more of what you like, less of what you don’t.
grabyourfork
Ooh I haven’t had osso bucco in ages. And love the idea of cauliflower mash. Yum.
john | heneedsfood
By coincidence I’m making osso bucco tonight, and seeing the Fiji Market is a minute from my house, I need some of that chilli paste to give it a Peruvian flavour. Yum!
Amanda @ Gourmanda
I think osso bucco’s one of those highly underrated cuts of meat – cooked well, it’s one of the tenderest and most delicious cuts available! I know I definitely don’t cook with it enough myself.