Turkey Osso Buco with Polenta

📝 Ingredients

• 4 turkey osso buco slices (about 250 g each, bone included)
• 2 tbsp plain flour (about 20 g)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion (about 120 g)
• 2 carrots (about 100 g each) + 2 celery sticks (about 60 g each)
• 3 garlic cloves (2 for the sauce, 1 for the gremolata)
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400 g) + 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 chicken stock cube + 300 ml hot water
• 200 g instant polenta (quick-cook)
• 400 ml semi-skimmed milk + 500 ml water (for the polenta)
• 40 g grated Parmesan
• 20 g fresh parsley + 1 unwaxed lemon (the zest for the gremolata, 1 tbsp juice for the sauce)
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Flameproof casserole dish with lid
• Saucepan
• Whisk
• Fine grater
• Wooden spoon
• Cutting board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Pat the turkey slices dry with kitchen paper, nick the skin in 2 or 3 places so it doesn't curl up, then season with salt and pepper. Dredge them in the flour on both sides and tap off the excess: a thin coating is enough.
2. Heat the oil in the casserole over a medium-high heat. Brown the slices for 4 min on each side without moving them, until a nice golden crust forms, then set aside on a plate. If your casserole is small, work in two batches: too crowded, the meat will stew instead of browning.
3. Meanwhile, peel the onion and carrots, then cut them into small 5 mm dice along with the celery. Chop 2 garlic cloves. Lower the heat to medium and sauté the vegetables in the casserole for 5 min, scraping up the browned bits stuck to the bottom with the wooden spoon.
4. Add the chopped garlic and tomato purée and stir for 1 min. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and the stock (the cube crumbled into 300 ml hot water), then return the turkey and its juices: the slices should be three-quarters submerged.
5. Bring to a simmer, cover and leave to simmer gently for 1 hr over a low heat, turning the slices halfway through. The meat is ready when it comes away easily from the bone. If the sauce is too thin, remove the lid for the last 10 minutes.
6. Make the gremolata: grate the lemon zest with a fine grater (only the yellow part, the white pith is bitter), then chop it with the parsley and the remaining garlic clove until very fine. Set aside.
7. 10 min before the end of cooking, bring the milk and water to a simmer in the saucepan with a pinch of salt, without letting it boil over. Pour in the polenta in a steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then cook for 5 min over a low heat (or according to the packet), stirring with a spoon.
8. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan: the polenta should be creamy and slide slowly off the spoon. If it's too thick, loosen it with a little hot water. Taste the sauce, adjust the seasoning and add 1 tbsp lemon juice.
9. Divide the polenta between shallow bowls, top with a turkey slice with its sauce and vegetables, then scatter generously with gremolata just before serving, so it keeps all its fragrance.