Ossobuco alla Milanese is one of my favorite recipes. It’s a special and flavorful dish and one that I love to serve to guests. Make sure to purchase the veal shanks from a great butcher!
Ossobuco is most often associated with Milan and the Lombardy region and dates back to the Middle Ages. To prepare it you need sliced veal shank (veal marrow bones) thickly cut: about 1 inch thick. Slow-cooked is the name of the game because the star of the dish is the bone marrow which needs to slow-cook and soften up to creamy deliciousness.
The addition of the gremolade at the end adds an additional burst of flavor and umami richness. The original Ossobuco alla Milanese recipe first presented in Pellegrino Artusi’s cookbook had no anchovy in the gremolade. I love to add a hint of anchovy to many dishes because it adds that magical burst of flavor and richness we’ve come to know as umami.
This dish is fabulous served with a creamy saffron parmesan risotto, or creamy mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
For the gremolade:
Lemon peel, minced, 2 teaspoons
1 anchovy fillet, minced
Parsley, minced, 2 tablespoons
Garlic, minced, ½ small clove
For the ossobuco (veal shank):
Ossobuco (veal shank - veal marrow bones), 4 pieces, 200 to 250 grams each (7 ounces), cut 2 ½ centimeters (1 inch) thick
Minced onion, 50 grams (1 ¾ ounces), about half of a medium white or yellow onion
Butter, 50 grams (1 ¾ ounces)
Flour, enough to flour both sides of the ossobuco about ½ cup
Beef broth, 1 liter (4 cups)
Dry white wine, 120 milliliters (½ cup)
Anchovy fillets, 2
Garlic cloves, 2 peeled
Parsley, minced, 2 tablespoons
Salt, to taste
Procedure
For the gremolade:
Finely mince the lemon peel, anchovy fillet, parsley and garlic together and set aside.
For the ossobuco:
Sauté the minced onion in the butter until tender and translucent.
Use a heavy-bottomed skillet large enough to hold the ossobuco (cast iron is ideal and my favorite is Le Creuset).
Lightly flour both sides of the ossobuco, then add to the onion & butter and brown each side well.
Add the white wine and simmer until evaporated.
Add enough beef broth to cover ⅔ of the veal shanks.
Add the 2 anchovy fillets and garlic cloves.
Cover and simmer on a low flame for two hours, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thick and creamy.
Add additional broth as necessary while cooking to keep the meat from drying out.
Turn the meat occasionally, about once every half hour.
Use a wooden spoon to scrape underneath the meat to loosen any bits that stick to the pan.
Once the meat is fully cooked add the gremolade to the sauce and cook for several more minutes.
Add salt to taste and serve the Ossobuco alla Milanese with a saffron risotto or creamy mashed potatoes.
Equipment
- Heavy bottom skillet, best is cast iron (I prefer Le Creuset)
Ingredients
For the gremolade:
- 2 teaspoons Lemon peel minced
- 1 Anchovy fillet minced
- 2 tablespoons Parsley minced
- 1 Garlic clove medium, minced
For the ossobuco:
- 1 kilogram Veal shank (veal marrow bones) veal shank (veal marrow bones) 4 pieces, 200 to 250 grams each (7 ounces), cut 2 ½ centimeters (1 inch) thick
- 50 grams Onion about half of a medium white or yellow onion, minced
- 50 grams Butter salted
- ½ cup Flour enough to flour both sides of the veal shank
- 1 liter Beef broth
- 120 milliliters Dry white wine
- 2 Anchovy fillets
- 2 Garlic cloves medium, peeled
- 2 tablespoons Parsley minced
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- For the gremolade:
- Finely mince the lemon peel, anchovy fillet, parsley and garlic together and set aside.
- For the ossobuco:
- Sauté the minced onion in the butter until tender and translucent.
- Use a heavy-bottomed pan large enough to hold the ossobuco (cast iron is ideal and my favorite is Le Creuset).
- Lightly flour both sides of the ossobuco, then add to the onion & butter and brown each side well.
- Add the white wine and simmer until evaporated.
- Add enough beef broth to cover ⅔ of the veal shanks.
- Add the 2 anchovy fillets and garlic cloves.
- Cover and simmer on a low flame for two hours, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thick and creamy.
- Add additional broth as necessary while cooking to keep the meat from drying out.
- Turn the meat occasionally, about once every half hour.
- Use a wooden spoon to scrape underneath the meat to loosen any bits that stick to the pan.
- Once the meat is fully cooked add the gremolade to the sauce and cook for several more minutes.
- Add salt to taste and serve with a saffron risotto or creamy mashed potatoes.
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