Recipes » Meat » Veal

Ossobuco Milanese


This is a true Milanese Ossobuco made without tomatoes, very similar to the dishes I enjoyed while we were living in Milano for eight years. Ossobuco is made with cross cut veal shanks, and when buying your veal for this dish, ask your butcher for some nice meaty shanks that are all pretty equal in size.

I like to add finely chopped rehydrated dried porcini mushrooms to give the recipe an extra depth of flavor, and if you like, you could even add some sautéed fresh mushrooms into the pot as well although mushrooms were not commonly used. This is a dish I have made many, many times over the years when entertain, as it can be assembled early in the day and then popped into the oven for a couple of hours before you dine.

Once the dish is prepped and in the pot, it really takes care of itself, slowly braising the meat in the sauce until it becomes so tender it falls right off the bone. I usually serve this veal dish with Risotto Milanese, a saffron flavored rice dish, keeping the dish traditional to its Northern Italian origin.

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 

Ossobuco Milanese

Ossobuco Milanese

Yield: Serves 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

A traditional Milanese dish made with slow braised veal shanks that is usually served with Risotto Milanese.

Ingredients

  • 6 Crosscut Veal Shanks (2 Inch Thick)
  • 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 3 Tablespoons Butter
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 (30 Gram) Package Dry Porcini Mushrooms
  • 1 Small Onion, Finely Chopped
  • 2 Stalks Of Celery, Finely Chopped
  • 2 Cloves Of Garlic, Minced
  • 2 Carrots, Finely Chopped
  • 1/2 Bottle Dry White Wine
  • 1 Cup Veal Or Beef Stock

Topping:

  • Finely Grated Zest Of 2 Lemons
  • 2 Cloves Garlic Finely Minced
  • 6 Tablespoons Fresh, Chopped Parsley

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Dust each shank with flour, salt and pepper.
  3. In a large oven proof pan, melt the butter with the oil, and brown the shanks well on both sides.
  4. Remove to a separate plate and pour off any fat.
  5. Rehydrate the porcini mushrooms in a cup of warm water for 30 minutes.
  6. Drain, retaining the mushroom liquid, and finely chop the mushrooms and set aside.
  7. Strain the mushroom liquid through a fine sieve, and measure out 1/2 cup, then set aside
  8. Add the vegetables to the pan, and sauté the vegetables until tender.
  9. Add the wine, scrape up any brown bits on the bottom, bring to a boil and reduce.
  10. Add the beef broth and mushroom liquid and heat.
  11. Return the shanks to the pan, cover and place in the oven for at least 2 hours, or until the meat begins to fall off the bones.
  12. Mix together the gremolata topping, and serve one shank per person with some sauce ladled on top.
  13. Sprinkle with the gremolata topping and serve with Risotto Milanese alongside.
Note: If the sauce is not thick, carefully remove the veal shanks to a warm dish and return the pan to the stove top over high heat. Cook until the sauce has thickened. Just before serving, return the veal shanks to the pan to rewarm.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

7 Comments

  1. Oh My GOODNESS! You are a cruel woman, Debra! Making me drive all the way to the butcher for veal shanks, making me salivate on my computer, forcing me to want to make this most scrumptious dish! Cruel!

  2. Fantastic! The sauce was amazing! I served mine with garlic butter mashed potato – sensational.
    Will definitely be cooking this again.

  3. I made this recipe along with your risotto alla Milanese and your chocolate panna cotta with espresso for Thanksgiving dinner. Each was fabulous but this dish really stole the show. I made it the night before and the veal was succulent and melted in the mouth. My boyfriend loves osso bucco and said it was the best he has ever had. He even referred to it as our new tradition. Thank you for making me look like a culinary rock star!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.