Osso Buco Alla Milanese
Updated March 25, 2025
- Total Time
- 2 hours 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 4 to 6tablespoons olive oil
- 6portions of veal shank (about 6 pounds total), see Tip
- ¼cup flour
- 1cup finely chopped onions
- ½cup finely chopped carrots
- ½cup finely chopped celery
- 1large garlic clove, minced
- 1½cups dry white wine
- 1½cups peeled, seeded, chopped fresh tomatoes (canned Italian tomatoes, drained and chopped, may be substituted)
- 1¼cups well-flavored veal, beef or chicken stock
- ½teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Gremolata (see recipe)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
779 calories; 30 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 99 grams protein; 1653 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Melt the oil in a heavy casserole large enough to hold the veal in a single layer. Dust shank pieces with flour and lightly brown on all sides over medium heat. You may find the browning easier if you do not put all the shanks in the pan at once. Do not allow them to become dark or blackened. Remove the shanks from the casserole and lower heat.
- Step 2
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 3
To the casserole, add onions, carrots and celery and saute, stirring until they begin to soften. Add garlic and saute a minute longer. Add wine and cook over medium-high heat, scraping the pan until all the brown bits clinging to it have dissolved. Stir in the tomatoes, stock and thyme.
- Step 4
Return the shanks to the casserole, basting with the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, cover and bake in the preheated oven about 1½ hours, until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork. Baste the shanks several times during baking.
- Step 5
Remove shanks to a serving dish and keep warm. Taste sauce and season with salt and pepper if necessary. If the sauce is too thin (it should be about the consistency of cream), place the pan on top of the stove and boil down the sauce for several minutes.
- Step 6
Pour sauce over the shanks and top with a little of the gremolata. Pass the rest on the side.
- For osso buco, have the butcher saw the veal into two-and-a-half to three-inch lengths so they average about a pound apiece. They should have a thin, transparent "skin" wrapping the meat. Do not remove this membrane because it holds the shanks together. If it has been removed, the meat should be tied with a string.
Private Notes
Comments
Be sure to score the membrane around the shank in several places, or the meat will curl up while cooking. Everything else works perfectly!
This recipe is incredibly easy but including prep time it takes at least an hour longer than stated.
Made this with two beef shanks that a local butcher sawed cross-wise. The recipe worked well with sauce ingredients cut by about a half. I used an immersion blender to smooth the sauce but preserve some texture. Will use extra sauce in another preparation. Marcella Hazan said she never used gremolata with Osso Buco but we think it's a nice addition because of the texture.
Fantastic recipe! We did more sauce for less meat and loved it. Thought the Gremolata gave a nice fresh kick! Made with the Risotto linked in the recipe, was great overall.
Short and sweet review. Had this last night, prepared as directed and it was amazing. We had it over mashed potatoes made with butter and heavy cream. It was out of this world.
So it was a total disaster for me. The meat was inexplicably dry and tough - even though I bought wagu beef shanks, and it cooked in the broth for 90 minutes. It was also weirdly not very flavorful. The family largely refused to eat it. My two thoughts are (1) beef shanks have different optimal temperature and time. If I did cook this again, it would be at a much lower temperature (like 250) and for 3 hours. (2) I didn't score the membrane, and that caused the problem.
Wagyu beef shanks are not the ssame as veal shanks. I don't think this cooking method suits them. But I could be wrong.