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Placeholder card reading “Osso Buco Ragu (photo coming soon)”

Osso Buco Ragu (Instant Pot)

A rich, rustic ragu with fall-apart osso buco, sweet butternut pumpkin, and a deeply savoury tomato sauce.
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Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 4 large pieces Osso Buco
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 3 stalks celery chopped
  • 1 fresh tomato chopped
  • 1 can cherry tomatoes
  • 140 g tomato paste 1 tub
  • 250 ml beef stock
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs mix
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Smoked paprika generous spoonful
  • Honey generous spoonful
  • Red wine vinegar good splash for deglazing your pot
  • Salt and pepper
  • ¼ butternut squash cut into large chunks
  • Cornflour slurry for thickening

Method
 

  1. Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode.
    Cook the onion and celery until softened, fragrant and browning.
    Add:
    • tomato paste
    • chopped fresh tomato
    Cook for a few minutes until the tomato paste darkens slightly and becomes rich and fragrant.
    Season with salt and pepper.
    Deglaze the pot with a generous splash or 2 of red wine vinegar, scraping up any browned flavour (fond) from the bottom of the pot.
  2. Add:
    • canned cherry tomatoes
    • beef stock
    Bring to a gentle bubble on Sauté mode.
    Stir through:
    • garlic
    • Italian herbs
    • smoked paprika
    • honey
    • bay leaf
    • Add the 4 large osso buco pieces into the sauce and make sure they are covered in the sauce.
    • Scatter the butternut squash chunks over the top.
    • Seal the lid and Pressure Cook for 45 minutes.
    • Allow a natural pressure release for 10–15 minutes if possible before venting fully.
  4. Remove the bay leaf.
    Carefully remove the meat with a slotted spoon and pull apart the meat with forks or roughly chop, it should be tender and falling off the bone. Remove bones if desired.
    Lightly mash the pumpkin into the sauce with wooden spoon for extra body and richness in the sauce.
    To thicken:
    • combine cornflour with cold water
    • stir into the sauce on Sauté mode until glossy and thickened
    Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  5. Serve with:
    • Pappardelle or Fettucine
    • Creamy mashed potato
    • Soft polenta
    Finish with:
    • Parmigiano Reggiano
    • Parsley or Basil
    • Cracked black pepper

Notes

It's the kind of ragu that tastes even better the next day.