Ossobuco Alla Milanese
Ossobuco, when loosely translated from Italian, means hollowed bone; a reference to the large piece of marrow in the center of the veal shank bone. It's a Milanese speciality of veal shanks cooked in meat broth and flavored with white wine. Slowly braised, this relatively tough, yet flavorful cut of meat becomes meltingly tender, and the connective tissues and marrow dissolve into the sauce, making it rich and…
Ingredients
- 4 slices veal hind shank, about 2.5–4 centimeters (1–1½ inches) thick
- 1 medium onion, chopped fine
- 3 ribs celery with leaves, chopped fine
- 1 medium carrot, chopped fine
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 240 ml (1 cup) dry white wine or white vermouth
- About 480 ml (2 cups) meat broth
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 anchovy fillets, mashed
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2–3 bay leaves
- 2 strips lemon peel
- Salt
- Fresh ground pepper
- Flour
Steps
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Tie shanks around the middle with kitchen twine, if butcher has not. This keeps them from falling apart.
- Use heavy, covered roasting pan or Dutch oven that just fits veal shanks in one layer. Add butter, two tablespoons of the oil, onions, celery and carrots.
- Sweat over medium heat until vegetables wilt, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and lemon peel. Sweat until fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in skillet until near smoking point. Lightly flour shanks. Brown both cut sides richly, then place on vegetables in roasting pan.
- Add wine to skillet. Boil until reduced by half, deglazing the pan. Pour over shanks.
- Bring beef broth to a boil in skillet, whisking in tomato paste and anchovies. Add to shanks with herbs, several grindings of pepper and a large pinch of salt.
- Liquid should cover three quarters of shanks. If not, add water.
- Bring to a simmer, cover and place in oven. Cook about 2 hours, turning and basting shanks every half hour.
- Add hot water, about ½ cup at a time, if liquid nearly evaporates. Veal is done when fork tender and falling from bone.
- Transfer shanks to platter. Remove strings and cover to keep warm.
- If sauce is watery, reduce cooking liquid on stove top over high heat until thick and creamy. Pour over shanks. Serve.
Notes from the original
- There are variations to this dish that use other animal shanks including beef, turkey and venison.
- The recipe calls for anchovies, which enrich the finished sauce without adding a fishy flavor. Don't omit them, even if you don't like anchovies.
- Traditionally, the cooking sauce is finished with a mixture of garlic, lemon zest and parsley called gremolata. It adds a burst of freshness to the finished dish. Gremolata consists of the grated zest of one lemon, one finely minced clove of garlic, and one tablespoon of finely chopped parsley. Add this mixture to the sauce at the end of the cooking, as it's being reduced.
- Ossobuco is almost always served with risotto. It's one of the few examples of Italian cooking where a starch is served with the main course. One may, for a change, substitute orzo or ancini de pepe cooked in meat broth and finished with butter and parmesan cheese.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Ossobuco Alla Milanese” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2026-01-30, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. Ossobuco.jpg by Mogens Engelund, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.