Osso Buco alla Milanese

Name: Osso Buco alla Milanese
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 thick-cut veal shanks (3–4 cm thick, about 350 g each), tied around the circumference with kitchen string; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; Plain flour for dusting; 4 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion + 1 carrot + 1 celery stalk, all finely diced; 200 ml dry white wine; 400 g chopped tomatoes; 500 ml veal or chicken stock; 1 bay leaf, a few sprigs of thyme; For the gremolata: zest of 1 lemon, 2 garlic cloves finely minced, a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley finely chopped

Veal shanks braised slowly in white wine and tomato, finished with raw lemon-garlic-parsley gremolata.

Total time50m

Active time20m

Servings4

DifficultyEasy

Cost$$

Add to my meal plan

🥩

Dry sear, deep brown

4 minutes without touching — wet meat steams

🦴

Marrow stays in the bone

Stock two-thirds up; bones exposed above the line

⏱️

2½ hours at 160°C

Done when meat slumps off the bone at a spoon press

🍋

Raw gremolata at the end

Lemon zest + garlic + parsley cuts through the richness

Ingredients 4 servings

4 thick-cut veal shanks (3–4 cm thick, about 350 g each), tied around the circumference with kitchen string
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Plain flour for dusting
4 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion + 1 carrot + 1 celery stalk, all finely diced
200 ml dry white wine
400 g chopped tomatoes
500 ml veal or chicken stock
1 bay leaf, a few sprigs of thyme
For the gremolata: zest of 1 lemon, 2 garlic cloves finely minced, a small bunch of flat-leaf parsley finely chopped

How to make it

1Pat the shanks dry — wet meat steams instead of searing — season aggressively with salt and pepper and dust lightly in flour knocking off the excess, then heat half the butter and all the oil in a heavy braising pan over medium-high heat until foaming, lay the shanks in and do not touch them for 4 minutes until the bottom is deeply browned, flip and do the second side, then lift onto a plate.
2Lower the heat to medium, add the rest of the butter and the soffritto, and cook gently for 10 minutes until soft and golden at the edges, then pour in the wine, raise the heat, and reduce by half while scraping up the caramelised bits from the bottom of the pan.
3Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaf and thyme, return the shanks to the pan in a single layer, and pour in just enough stock to come about two-thirds of the way up the meat — the bones should stay exposed so the marrow stays in — and bring to a bare simmer.
4Cover and braise on the lowest heat or in a 160°C oven for 2 to 2½ hours, turning the shanks gently every 30 minutes so they cook evenly — they are done when the meat slumps off the bone at the press of a spoon and the sauce has thickened to a glossy gravy — then lift them out carefully because the bones and marrow are fragile at this point.
5While the shanks rest, stir together the lemon zest, garlic and parsley to make the gremolata, place a shank on each plate, spoon over plenty of sauce, and crown with a generous pinch of the raw gremolata — its sharpness cuts the richness and is what makes osso buco Milanese rather than just braised veal — serve with risotto alla milanese, polenta, or a piece of bread for the marrow.