One of our favourite and most celebrated meals on the estancia is Osobuco. There is nothing nicer than walking in for dinner to be greeted by the aroma of red wine and rosemary. The chefs prepare the osobuco at lunchtime and the meat braises for at least 5 hours.

Osobuco is the shank, or shin bone of the animal and is commonly found on Italian menus; however, it is traditionally cut into smaller disks rather than being served whole as we do at the estancia.

Osobuco

1 bottle of Red Wine

4 Onions (2 diced, and 2 in quarters)

2 cloves of garlic, diced

2 bay leafs

Tomato puree

Fresh thyme

A few springs of rosemary

1 stock cube

3 rashers of bacon

4 handfuls of mushrooms

3 carrots

1 large joint serves 4 people comfortably with plenty for a second serving.

Sauté the diced onions, garlic and bacon in a deep saucepan.

Add the joint of beef, bay leaves, thyme, stock cube and red wine. Ensure that the liquid covers the entire joint, if necessary top up with red wine and water during the cooking period.

Cook over a low heat. Cook for a minimum of 5 hours. Add carrots, mushrooms and more onions an hour before you are due to serve and continue cooking with the meat. When it’s time to serve lift the beef from the pan - if cooked correctly and for sufficient time the beef should fall from the bone. Serve the mushrooms, onions and carrots apart and the juice as a gravy.