Ingredients – Serves 6

• 6 veal shanks with bone and marrow, about 250g each
• 1 medium onion, peeled and roughly cut
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 medium carrots, washed and roughly cut
• 3 celery stalks, washed and roughly cut
• 1 medium leek, washed and roughly cut
• 4 bay leaves
• Few sprigs of fresh thyme
• Few sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 142g tomato puree
• 300ml white wine
• 450ml hot water
• 2 beef stock cubes
• dash of oil
• salt

Equipment 

• Knife
• Large non-stick frying pan
• Oven proof dish
• Pair of tongs

Other

• Foil

Method

1. Pre-heat oven on gas mark 3-4.
2. Start making a few cuts along the fat lining of the veal by sliding the knife in gently. This is to prevent the veal from twisting upwards when cooking.
   

   
3. Prepare a large frying pan on high heat, add some oil and salt.
   

   
4. By the time the pan is getting hot, we can start preparing the mirepoix; roughly chop the carrots, onion, leek and celery. Add the bay leaf, thyme, rosemary and garlic as whole. Put all vegetables in a container and leave them on the side for now.
   

   

   
5. Place the veal in the pan and leave to seal until it gets a nice brown colour. Turn the veal around and do the same for this side.
   

   

   
6. Transfer the veal onto an oven proof dish and put it on the side for now. Leave the frying pan on the heat and add the mirepoix to cook for about 2-4 minutes.
   

   

   

   
7. Give the vegetables a stir and add the tomato puree. Stir again and leave to cook as long as you can; the longer you cook it the more you reduce its acidity.
8. Add the white wine and leave it to reduce by half.
   

   
9. In the meantime prepare a deep oven proof dish and a large piece of foil, ready for later on.
10. Once the wine is reduced, add the stock cubes and the hot water. Give everything another gentle stir.
11. Transfer the mirepoix to your prepared dish and start placing the veal on top of it. Cover the whole dish with foil and make sure it is covered tightly so no vapour can escape. Place dish in oven and leave to cook for 1.5 – 2hrs.
    

    
    

    

    
12. After 2hrs you can remove the dish from oven, place the veal in another dish and strain the gravy so you’ll get a smooth jus out of your mirepoix.