Osso Buco, in English as a “bone with a hole” not as inviting as it is in Italian but equally delicious. It is a Milanese specialty of cross-cut veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine and broth. Although I serve my recipe with short pasta, it is often, traditionally served with Gremolata (chopped herb condiment, made of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley) or Milanese risotto.

There are two types of Osso Buco: a modern version that has tomatoes and the original version which does not. The older version, Osso Buco in bianco, is flavored with cinnamon, bay leaf and gremolata. The modern and more popular recipe includes tomatoes, carrots, celery and onions. Gremolata is optional if you want that nice herb kick.

I will be making the modern version here. However, I took it one step further in my recipe and added porcini mushrooms to the mix. I absolutely adore porcini mushrooms and this is a lovely way to have them.

What you need:

• 6 thick cut veal shin bone, complete with marrow (A tip: Hind quarter shin bones (about 4cm thick), are meatier and more tender than the front ones)
• 10g packet dried porcini mushrooms
• A small handful of plain flour, seasoned
• 50g unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large celery stick, trimmed and diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 200ml dry white wine
• 2 cups tomatoes, skinned and chopped (can also use canned tomatoes or passata)
• 1 cube vegetable bouillon powder (to be dissolved in 250ml hot water)

For the gremolata:

• 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

What you do:

1. Soak the porcini mushrooms for 15-20 minutes in 200ml boiling water
2. Trim off any fatty or lumpy bits off the veal but keep the membrane that holds it together
3. Dust both sides of the veal  with the seasoned flour
4. Heat the butter and oil in a very large pan or casserole over a medium-high heat
5. Fry the veal slices for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown
6. Put the meat to aside to rest while you prepare base
7. Place the pan over a low to medium heat and put in the carrot and celery
8. Gently fry for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables have softened
9. Then raise the heat and pour in the wine
10. Make sure the wine bubbles and boils for at least 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat
11. Take the softened porcini mushrooms out of the soaking liquid and Squeeze out the excess liquid  — don’t discard the liquid as you will need later
12. Chop the mushrooms roughly and add to the pan along with the soaking liquid, followed by the tomatoes or passata and stock
13. Stir well and put the veal back into the pan in a single layer, cover and bring to the boil
14. Once boiled immediately reduce the heat and simmer very gently for 2 hours, but make sure you turn the veal slices halfway
15. The liquid needs to reduce to a sauce thickness, but if it’s still thin after an hour or so, half remove the lid to allow evaporation

For the gremolata:

1. Place the parsley, garlic, and lemon zest in a medium bowl and season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Rub the mixture between your fingers to combine the ingredients, releasing the oils from the lemon zest to coat the parsley and garlic, about 1 minute; set aside.

To finish:

Transfer the shanks to a large, shallow serving dish and pour the sauce over them. Sprinkle with all of the gremolata and serve immediately.

And there it is’ your Osso Buco, ready for a family dinner and a cozy dinner party with friends.

Enjoy!

Calories: Total  1,520 — Per Serving 380