Ossobucco Milanese
I love to start the new year with a good hike. And after, a great dinner. This fancy-pants meal is one of the greatest things to come out of your crock pot, and makes a wonderful post-hike celebratory dish to come home to.
Ossobucco (translated to hollow bone) is a dish of slow cooked veal shank, of which the bone marrow is coveted. It is one of my favorite Italian dishes (when we go to Las Vegas, there is always at least one dinner out for ossobucco!), but like many of our favorite “Italian” dishes, it isn’t a dish I’ve actually had more than maybe once in Italy. Perhaps that is because the first time I was in Milan, the entire city was on strike, it was 102°F and it was too hot to eat (Italians do not believe in air conditioning since cold air carries germs)…the second time was for a research conference outside the city (as in, ride the subway to the last stop, walk another mile, and welcome to the conference hotel!), hosted in a grim, probable Mussolini-era hold out surrounded by chickens. But that is another story.
You will see Ossobucco in different forms: alla Romana, which is cooked in a richer red wine and tomato sauce accented with rosemary, and the lighter Milanese version. This is my take on Ossobucco alla Milanese. I must state this, since there is an official OSSBUS Confraterita dell’Ossobuco alla Milanese (literally, a Brotherhood of the Ossobucco – oh, how I love Italy!) which has an official recipe on register. The official recipe does not include garlic, which just doesn’t seem right. Tomatoes were also not traditionally used until the end of the 19th century (when the Spanish brought them to Italy in the 1500’s, the poor Milanese assumed they were either inedible or poisonous. Boy were they missing out). Tomato is now listed as an “optional” ingredient for the official recipe. The hint of anchovy in the gremolata adds a saltiness and umami to the dish while the parsley and lemon zest add brightness. We serve ours with risotto alla Milanese (a basic white wine risotto with a pinch of saffron). Where to find veal shanks: they are rarely on display in a meat counter, but ask your butcher if they have them in back or can order them in (Albertson’s will). For high end shanks, head to D’artagnan – try to snag some during one of their 20-25% off sales.
Ossobucco alla Milanese
Serves 2 generously, with leftovers
Ingredients
- 2 lb veal shanks (2 large or 4 small)
- Kosher salt
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ½ cup chicken or veal stock
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes (can substitute 14 oz canned whole or diced tomatoes)
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ to 1 anchovy (optional)
Directions
Lay the veal shanks in a shallow baking pan and sprinkle liberally on both sides with salt. Refrigerate overnight. If you forgot to do this, don’t worry – it will still turn out fine.
Put the flour in a shallow bowl, dredge the veal shanks in it, and pat off the excess. In a large sauté pan, heat 3 tbsp of the oil (enough to coat the bottom) over medium high heat. Brown the veal shanks for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside. If the oil turns dark during the process, discard it.
Add remaining olive oil to pan. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the pan, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt, and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until soft, stirring frequently. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and cook for about 2 minutes, or until reduced by half.
Layer enough broth to cover the bottom of the crock pot, then add the shanks, thyme, bay leaf. Top with the sauteed veggies and tomatoes in crock pot or slow cooker. Cook on low 5-7 hours (our crock pot cooks a bit fast, so 5 hours is plenty). The meat should be fork tender and falling off the bones. Skim off any oil. Break up tomatoes with a wooden spoon and taste the sauce for salt.
If sauce is too thin for your liking, strain the liquid into a large saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until reduced to your liking. Using a skimmer or large spoon, skim off any grease or foam that rises to the surface.
Make the gremolata: mash garlic and anchovy into a paste, either by mincing or use a mortar and pestle. Add lemon zest and chopped parsley.
To serve, put a single veal shank in a large shallow bowl and ladle about 3/4 cup of the sauce and vegetables over it.
Garnish each osso buco with the gremolata. We serve ours with risotto alla Milanese on the side.
If you go: Milan would not be a top priority for a first trip to Italy for me personally, but this big city has a few important sites (the Duomo, the Last Supper, and the DaVinci museum to name a few). Two nights and a full day are sufficient to see the highlights, and could be tacked on to the beginning or end of a trip if you happen to be utilizing the Milan Malpensa Airport (Milan has a very large international airport, connected by train to the city). By train, Milan is not far from the Italian lakes district (Bellagio, Lake Como) and also close to Torino and the Piedmont wine region.
All photos © Buona Forchetta.