Ossobuco alla milanese

ossobuco alla · from Lombardy · Secondi Piatti

Ingredients (for 4 people)

• 4 veal shank slices with bone
• about 4 to 5 centimeters thick
• 80 grams butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 300 milliliters dry white wine
• 400 milliliters veal stock or beef broth
• 400 grams canned San Marzano tomatoes
• Salt
• black pepper
• some flour for dusting. For the gremolata you need the grated zest of one unwaxed lemon
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley and 1 garlic clove
• all finely chopped.

Preparation

1. Season the veal shank slices all around with salt and pepper, dust them lightly with flour and shake off the excess.
2. In a large, heavy cooking pot or Dutch oven, heat the butter together with the olive oil over medium-high heat.
3. Brown the veal slices in batches on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
4. Remove the meat and set it aside.
5. In the same pot, sweat the finely diced onion, the pressed garlic cloves, the finely diced carrots and the celery over reduced heat for about 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft and translucent.
6. Deglaze with the white wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
7. Let the wine cook down for about 5 minutes until it is almost completely reduced.
8. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, crush them lightly and pour in the veal stock or broth.
9. Return the veal shanks to the pot; they should sit halfway in the liquid.
10. Cover and braise gently over low heat for about 2 to 2.5 hours.
11. Turn the shanks once in between.
12. The meat is done when it comes off the bone easily with a fork.
13. If the sauce is too thin, take the shanks out and boil the sauce down, uncovered, over higher heat.
14. Before serving, scatter the gremolata over the ossobuchi.
15. Saffron risotto or creamy polenta goes well with it.