AUTHENTIC ITALIAN OSSO BUCO (ALLA MILANESE)
Osso buco is a classic Italian dish originating in Milan. The name “osso buco” (in Milanese dialect “Oss Buss”) literally means “bone with a hole”, referring to the marrow hole in the center of the cross-cut veal shank used in this dish.
The Osso Buco recipe, although it requires a long cooking time, is not a difficult dish to make. What makes it truly special is its tenderness and unique flavor.
Osso buco is typically served with risotto alla Milanese or with polenta or mashed potatoes to soak up the delicious sauce. The marrow from the bone is also considered a delicacy and is usually eaten with the tender meat.
Prep Time: 20 Min
Cook Time: 2 H0urs
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
For Ossobuco
4 veal osso buco (cross-cut veal shanks with marrow in the bone), 1 to 1 ½ inches thick (3 to 4 cm high)
IMPORTANT: cut the white connective tissue surrounding the shank in few places using kitchen scissors.
1 medium onion
50 g (1/2 stick) of unsulted butter
50 g (1/3 cup) of all purpose flour
100 ml (1/2 cup) of dry white wine
600 ml (2 cups) of meat broth
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of fine salt
freshly ground black pepper
For Gremolata
a bunch of parsley
½ lemon zest
1 garlic clove
Meat broth
INGREDIENTS
FOR ABOUT 1 ½ LITERS (ABOUT 6 CUPS) OF MEAT BROTH
4 liters (17 cups) of cold water
350 g of meaty beef stock bones with marrow such as knuckle bones
500 g of stew beef such as chuck or flank steak
½ hen or chicken
1 white onions medium size
2 carrots
1 stalks of celery
1 big tomato or 3 little tomatoes
3 sprigs of parsley
1 bay leaf (optional)
2 cloves (optional)
salt to taste
Instruction
Start by preparing the vetables for the broth.
Peel the carrot and cut it into chunks, cut the celery too, peel the onion and cut it in half.
If you want a more aromatic meat broth, add a bay leaf and two cloves.
Then put all the vegetables in a large pot with high flame.
Wash the meat with the bones under running water to remove any splinters or impurities.
Now add the meat over the vegetables: the beef, the meat with bone and the hen or chicken. Cover the meat with 4 liters /17 cups of cold water.
Cook over medium-high heat for the first 10 minutes, then cook for 3 hours over low heat with the lid slightly open. The broth should simmer slowly.
During this time, the broth may need to be skimmed. That is, remove the dark foam, consisting of fat and impurities, which settles on the surface of the broth.
About half an hour before the end of cooking, add the parsley sprigs. Parsley, if cooked too much, becomes bitter and loses its scent. After about three hours of cooking, the broth is reduced by half.
Meat broth is ready. Now you just have to drain it. So, remove meat and vegetables from the pot with a slotted spoon. Finally, drain the broth once or twice with a colander.
Add salt to taste only after cooking: the amount of salt depends on your personal taste and how concentrated the broth is.
(Homemade meat broth can be stored for 3-4 days in the refrigerator, tightly closed in an airtight container.)
COOKING THE OSSOBUCO
Prepare the veal shanks.This will prevent the meat from curling and changing shape during cooking. Then flour the veal shanks on both sides and set aside.
In a large pan, put the butter and oil, add the finely chopped onion and cook over low heat for 3 minutes until the onion becomes transparent.
Now put the osso buco in the pan with the onion. Cook them over medium heat for 5 minutes on both sides. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Finally, add the white wine and let it evaporate.
Heat the meat broth (prepared earlier). Lower the heat and cover the shanks with the hot broth.
Now add the tomato paste, stir and let them cook over low heat for about 2 hours, covered with a lid.
About every 30 minutes, turn the veal shanks gently, making sure they don’t stick to the bottom.
Add some broth during cooking only if necessary. The sauce must be thick and creamy, not too liquid.
Add the Gremolata a few minutes before the end of cooking.
THE GREMOLATA: Instruction
For Gremolata, start with chopping the parsley and the clove of garlic. Then mix them throughly with the lemon zest.
Add the Gremolata a few minutes before the end of cooking. Serve the osso buco recipe with Gremolata piping hot, perhaps with some lemon peel as decoration.
