TABELIAAUTHENTIC ITALIAN RECIPE
Authentic Ossobuco alla Milanese
Bone-in veal shank braised slowly in white wine and broth until tender, finished with a bright lemon and parsley gremolata — Milan’s signature braise.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
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Ingredients (4 servings)
- Cross-cut veal shanks1200 g
- Cake flour30 g
- Unsalted butter40 g
- Extra virgin olive oil30 ml
- Onion1
- Carrot1
- Celery1
- Dry white wine200 ml
- Meat broth500 ml
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley15 g
- Garlic1 clove
- Lemon zest1
- Salt8 g
- Black pepper2 g
Method
Season and flour the veal
Score the connective tissue around each veal shank in 3–4 places and season with salt and black pepper. Pat the surface dry, dust lightly with flour and shake off the excess.
Prepare the vegetables
Finely chop the onion and carrot. Trim the strings from the celery and finely chop.
Make the gremolata
Finely chop the parsley and garlic and mix together for the gremolata. Zest the lemon, avoiding the bitter white pith, and finely chop the zest.
Sear the veal
Heat 20g butter and the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy pot and add the veal shanks. Sear both sides for 3–4 minutes each until lightly golden, then remove.
Soften the vegetables
In the same pot, add the remaining 20g butter, the onion, carrot and celery. Cook over medium heat for 8 minutes until softened and the onion is translucent.
Deglaze with white wine
Pour in the white wine, scraping up the browned bits, and reduce over high heat for 3 minutes until the smell of alcohol is gone and the liquid has reduced by about half.
Braise until tender
Return the veal shanks to the pot and add the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat, partially cover and simmer for 100 minutes, until the meat is nearly falling off the bone and a fork meets no resistance.
Finish the sauce
Remove the lid and reduce over medium heat for 5–8 minutes. Scatter with the gremolata. It’s ready when the sauce is lightly thickened and coats the meat with a glossy sheen.
About this dish
Milan, the central city of Lombardy, is a hub of commerce and finance — but it’s also the heart of a northern Italian cuisine built on butter, veal and rice. Ossobuco alla Milanese, a braise of veal shank, represents that food culture at its core.
The name means “bone with a hole,” a reference to the marrow at the centre of each cross-cut shank. It was known around Milan by the 18th century; the older style braises in white wine and broth, while a version with tomato spread from the 19th century onward.
Traditionally, it’s served alongside Risotto alla Milanese. A table set with saffron rice next to bone-in braised meat says a great deal about both the festive richness of Milan and the material honesty of northern Italian cooking.
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