You've heard of osso bucco right? A decidedly decadent dish of veal shank that has been braised in wine and stock. There are many different recipes for osso bucco, traditional recipes typically have a gremolata and use bay leaves, more modern versions use tomatoes, carrots, celery and onion. 

Mark Bittman, sneakily includes a more traditional recipe for osso bucco in his book, Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times. The joke is that there is no way you're going to develop that fork tender perfection in 30 minutes! 

Osso bucco was a farmhouse dish, veal shanks were inexpensive and readily available. These days, veal shanks are much more expensive selling for about 22$ per kg, and you will need about 1/2 kg per person, making this meal a little pricy. We do, however, have ways of helping you shave that cost and not compromise the integrity of the dish,

One of the better ways to offset the cost of a traditional osso bucco is to use just one veal shank, but make the most of it by buying a piece from the highest part of the shank (more meat, more marrow), then using veal blade roast to fulfill the rest of the recipe. Veal blade roast can often be found on sale for under 7$ per kg, cutting the cost almost in half.

The challenge of using veal blade roast is getting the flavor from the bones and the texture from the marrow of the shanks. This is why you would use at least one piece of shank; it works throughout the braising process to thicken the sauce and add the creamy and texturally pleasing mouth-feel expected. Finishing the sauce with a bit of butter rounds out the entire dish.

Veal shanks and veal blade roast can be purchased through most butchers and is often available at large supermarkets.

Mark Bittman's Osso Bucco