Ossobuco alla Milanese

Recipe by KCS team

Prep Time:

20 mins

Cook Time:

1 hr 30 min to 2 hrs

Serves:

4 Servings

Level:

Intermediate

Who doesn't adore ossobuco? We've tackled the challenge of presenting this beloved dish elegantly at dinner parties and achieved a stunning result that's sure to impress.

Ingredients

For the Ossobuco

4 veal shins (osso bucco)

1 medium carrot

1 medium onion

1 celery stick

3 sprigs thyme

1 sprig rosemary

1 bayleaf

120ml white wine

400ml chicken or veal stock

a pinch of saffron

1 lemon (rind only)

1/2 bunch parsley (finely chopped)

1 garlic (minced)

1 fillet of anchovy (from a jar)

1 tbsp plain flour

kitchen twine (optional)

salt and pepper

For the Risotto

300g risotto rice

500ml chicken stock (hot)

150ml white wine

1 shallot

25g butter (unsalted)

1 tbsp olive oil

50g parmesan cheese (grated)

Pinch of saffron

Salt and pepper

Method

Traditionally, ossobuco recipes call for tying the veal shins with kitchen twine to prevent them from falling apart during cooking. However, in this version, we remove the meat from the bones before serving, eliminating the need for tying altogether.

Step 1

Start Cooking the Veal: Season and toss the meat in the flour. Place it in a medium-hot pan to seal the meat. Remove it from the pan once browned on both sides and reduce the heat.

Step 2

While browning the veal, finely chop the onion, carrot, and celery. Remove the meat from the pan, add the chopped vegetables, and sauté them for about 5 minutes.

Step 3

Put the ossobuco back in the pan, add the white wine, and cook until the wine is reduced by half.

Step 4

Make a bouquet garni with thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Wrap it in muslin cloth, tie it with kitchen twine, and put it into the pan.

Step 5

Add a couple of ladles of stock (until it reaches the middle of the veal shin pieces). Lower the heat to low and cook until the meat is falling apart. Usually, this will take 1 hour and 15 minutes for a 4cm thick piece of meat. Keep an eye on it and add more stock if needed. (Remember, overcooking can dry the meat out)

Step 6

Cook the Risotto: (Ideally, you should start this 20 minutes before the ossobuco is done.) Heat a pan on medium heat, add the butter and olive oil, and once the butter starts foaming, add the chopped shallot and gently fry until translucent.

Step 7

Add the rice to the pan and fry for a few minutes, coating every grain with butter.

Step 8

Add the white wine and let it reduce, and add the saffron and some stock. Keep adding stock and stirring until the rice is al dente.

Step 9

Make the Gremolata: Remove the veal from the pan, cover, and keep warm. Add the garlic, anchovy, lemon rind, and chopped parsley to the pan. Reduce the stock to a sauce consistency. Season if needed.

Step 10

Serve: Remove the risotto from the heat, add the Parmesan cheese, and stir until well combined. Serve the veal on top of the risotto and garnish with the gremolata.