Ossobuco alla milanese
Ossobuco alla milanese
A dish of milk-fed veal shank sliced crosswise on the bone, braised in white wine and broth with the marrow-filled hole (osso = bone, buco = hole) left visible. Finishing with gremolata, a mince of lemon zest, garlic and parsley chopped very fine, is the defining requirement of the Milanese version, cutting through the richness of the braise with aroma and acidity.
Milan (Lombardy). The earliest known text is Giuseppe Sorbiatti's Il Memoriale della Cuoca (1879), which became known abroad through Artusi (1891)
Milan — Granted De.C.O. status (municipal denomination of origin) in 2007
Main ingredients
- Veal shank, crosswise slices (bone-in)
- Flour
- Butter
- Onion
- White wine
- Broth
- Tomato
- Lemon zest, garlic and parsley (gremolata)
How it goes
These are the bones of the method. Quantities and detail live in the sources.
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Dust with flour
Dust the shank slices, cut so the bone stays enclosed, with flour to keep them from shrinking and to keep the marrow from falling out.
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Brown in butter
Sear both sides well in butter until browned.
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Deglaze with white wine
Add white wine to dissolve the fond on the bottom of the pan, and let the alcohol cook off.
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Braise with broth and tomato
Add broth, onion and tomato, and braise slowly over low heat, until tender just short of falling off the bone.
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Finish with gremolata
Finish with gremolata, a mince of lemon zest, garlic and parsley chopped very fine, to bring out aroma and acidity.
Pasta it follows
Why it works
Pasta al LimonePreviews the lemon of the finishing gremolata with the lemon in the primo served first. It's a light dish, so the weight order with the braise that follows still holds. 
Tajarin al tartufo biancoEgg pasta with butter from neighboring Piedmont. Both dishes share "a northern Italian festive table built on broth and butter," matching ossobuco in status and region as a primo. 
Bigoli in salsaA home-cooked dish from the same northern Italy (Veneto), with a light sauce of just anchovy and onion. Keeps the regional lineage in the north while preserving the primo-to-secondo order of rising weight. 
PomodoroFrom a light primo of tomato alone to a rich meat secondo braised, likewise, in tomato and broth. Carries the same ingredient lineage forward while raising the weight in the second half.