Osso Buco Alla Milanese
Updated March 24, 2025
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- 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 6 tablespoons olive oil
6 portions of veal shank (about 6 pounds total), see Tip
¼ cup flour
1 cup finely chopped onions
½ cup finely chopped carrots
½ cup finely chopped celery
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 ½ cups dry white wine
1 ½ cups peeled, seeded, chopped fresh tomatoes (canned Italian tomatoes, drained and chopped, may be substituted)
1 ¼ cups well-flavored veal, beef or chicken stock
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Gremolata (see recipe)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
14 grams carbs; 377 milligrams cholesterol; 779 calories; 15 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 30 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 1653 milligrams sodium; 99 grams protein; 4 grams sugar
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 1 ½ 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.
If you’re in a hotel in Italy with a restaurant, they would prepare this for you with a day’s notice. Am very surprised that it’s not recommended to serve with polenta, which is the traditional side.
@Michael Napa independent butchers have veal. I also recently saw it at Costco and grabbed a few packages to freeze.
Really bland. Used homemade chicken stock. Extra salt didn't help.