Osso Buco with Saffron and Mushrooms (Crockpot)

Let me start out by making a confession.  I really don't like the taste of beef.  I only started eating it fairly recently, and I only like it with ALOT of extra flavor.  I found a couple ways to make roasts or stew meat that I really like, but I was getting a bit bored with them, so I decided to go in hunt of something new.  I adore saffron, so on a whim, I decided to hunt beef recipes with saffron in them.  I was pleasantly surprised to find many of them.   After looking at several, this is what I ended up trying in my kitchen.  I really didn't know what to expect, but it turned out quite yummy!

I had some osso buco I wanted to use up, but you could use this recipe with any beef that needs long cooking with liquid.  I also think it would be absolutely fabulous with the addition of fennel.  Let me know if you try it!  I am going to list exactly what I used, but this recipe is very adaptable.  You could use just about any root vegetable.  My only complaint was that it could have used more salt, but I realized later that I used straight up chicken bone broth versus stock, so the amount of salt to add is going to depend on what you use for your liquid and personal preference.

Osso Buco with Saffron and Mushrooms

Whatcha Need

3 pieces of osso buco (or any beef good for slow cooking - up to about 5 lbs worth)
2 TB coconut oil plus extra for coating meat
1 onion, sliced
1 ts loosely packed saffron threads
1 TB crushed garlic
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup chicken stock or bone broth (or beef broth would probably be fine too)
12 oz pkg of washed and sliced mushrooms (yeah I am lazy)
handful of baby carrots (or any other root vegetable of choice and/or sliced fennel)

Whatcha Do 

Start out by heating the coconut oil in a skillet and adding the onions and saffron.  While the onion is cooking, get enough coconut oil to rub over the surface of the meat, and then follow with rubbing garlic over the surface.  Finish up with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  When the onions are translucent, move them to a bowl and turn the heat up to med high.  Add the osso buco pieces to the skillet and brown them well on all sides.  Transfer the osso buco straight to your crockpot.  Now add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook just long enough to get any brown bits scraped up from your skillet.  Add a bit more coconut oil if it seems necessary, but the mushrooms will start to release their own moisture and most likely do the job.  Add a bit of salt to your bone broth if you think  you will want more, and then pour it into the crockpot around the meat.  Top with onions and mushrooms and any other veggies you choose to use.  Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours.  Cooking times will vary depending on the cut you are using.  When I am cooking a whole roast, I often cut it into quarters or even smaller pieces after about 5 hours to get an idea of how done it is and also to make sure it gets to soak up the flavor.  This recipe was great with osso buco.  It literally fell right off the bone and was practically melt in your mouth tender!  Enjoy!