Milano is known for a number of dishes, including cotoletta alla milanese, ossobuco, and risotto alla milanese. The former, which is quite easy and very tasty if properly done, has spread throughout the rest of the Peninsula. The other two haven't -- people often refer to them in hushed tones, as if there were great secrets involved in their preparation. It's a pity, because they're both very good, and neither is particularly difficult.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 slices of veal shank an inch thick and 6-7 inches across, about a pound and a half in all (see note)
- Flour
- A small onion, minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2/3 cup hot broth or water (have more handy)
- 1-2 tablespoons tomato sauce or 2 teaspoons tomato paste diluted in water (optional)
- ** For the Gremolada (the mixture of herbs added at the end) **
- 2 cloves garlic
- The leaves of a 6-inch (15 cm) sprig of rosemary
- 2 leaves sage
- A small bunch of parsley
- The zest of a small lemon, grated
- 1-2 anchovies, rinsed and boned (quite optional)
Preparation:
Continuing with the introduction, as is the case with any recipe, much of the final success hinges upon the quality of the ingredients, so purchase your meat from a good butcher, and your saffron from a reputable spice merchant, and you should be fine.
The word ossobuco literally translates as "bone with a hole through it," which is an apt description of a veal shank. In selecting your meat, choose ossibuchi cut from the upper part of the shank (preferably the hindshank, which is more tender than the foreshank, and the pieces should be 2-3 fingers high). The pieces should have marrow in the centers of the rings of bone. Connoisseurs consider the marrow, which gains a wondrously satiny texture as it cooks, the highlight of the dish and scoop it from the bone with tiny spoons called esattori, or tax agents.
Purists also prefer that their ossibuchi be served on a bed of plain white rice -- Italian risotto rice such as Arborio or Vialone Nano, though Oriental Basmati would also be nice -- that they may enjoy the meat's flavor to the fullest. However, many people prefer to serve ossibuchi on a bed of risotto alla milanese, a tasty saffron-laced risotto whose renown has increased considerably after Gualtiero Marchesi, Italy's top Chef, began serving it with a leaf of beaten gold laid over it (others may have done so before, but he caught people's attention).
Finally, a couple words about Ossobuco, or Oss Bus:
Milanesi have been enjoying Ossobuco at least since the mid-1700s, and the recipe could well go back further. Tomato is a relatively recent addition -- it begins to appear in 19th century versions, and even now purists frown at it. Flouring the shanks is also more optional now than it used to be: In the past, flouring and browning the meat helped make it tender, but modern veal is such that you can omit this step if you want (I generally don't). The gremolata has also evolved with time; in addition to the above-listed anchovies, modern recipes sometimes call for minced pancetta or prosciutto.
And now, the recipe:
Make cuts at several points in the membranes surrounding the ossibuchi or they will shrink, causing the ossibuchi to curl as they cook.
Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pan or Dutch oven large enough to hold the ossibuchi without stacking them, and sauté the onion, seasoning it with salt and pepper to taste, till the onions are translucent.
Meanwhile, flour the ossibuchi. Then remove the onion from the pan, setting it aside, and brown the ossibuchi on both sides, sprinkling them every now and then with the wine. When the wine is completely evaporated, return the onion to the pot, and add the broth and tomato paste. Check the seasoning and simmer, covered, until done (about two hours - the meat should be very tender). If need be, add more broth to keep the ossibuchi from drying out.
While the ossibuchi are simmering, prepare the gremolada by mincing and combining the ingredients. When the ossibuchi are done, remove them to a platter. Reduce the sauce, if necessary, and add to it the gremolada. Cook the sauce for another minute, then pour it over the meat and serve, over a bed of rice or risotto alla Milanese.
Serves 4.
The word ossobuco literally translates as "bone with a hole through it," which is an apt description of a veal shank. In selecting your meat, choose ossibuchi cut from the upper part of the shank (preferably the hindshank, which is more tender than the foreshank, and the pieces should be 2-3 fingers high). The pieces should have marrow in the centers of the rings of bone. Connoisseurs consider the marrow, which gains a wondrously satiny texture as it cooks, the highlight of the dish and scoop it from the bone with tiny spoons called esattori, or tax agents.
Purists also prefer that their ossibuchi be served on a bed of plain white rice -- Italian risotto rice such as Arborio or Vialone Nano, though Oriental Basmati would also be nice -- that they may enjoy the meat's flavor to the fullest. However, many people prefer to serve ossibuchi on a bed of risotto alla milanese, a tasty saffron-laced risotto whose renown has increased considerably after Gualtiero Marchesi, Italy's top Chef, began serving it with a leaf of beaten gold laid over it (others may have done so before, but he caught people's attention).
Finally, a couple words about Ossobuco, or Oss Bus:
Milanesi have been enjoying Ossobuco at least since the mid-1700s, and the recipe could well go back further. Tomato is a relatively recent addition -- it begins to appear in 19th century versions, and even now purists frown at it. Flouring the shanks is also more optional now than it used to be: In the past, flouring and browning the meat helped make it tender, but modern veal is such that you can omit this step if you want (I generally don't). The gremolata has also evolved with time; in addition to the above-listed anchovies, modern recipes sometimes call for minced pancetta or prosciutto.
And now, the recipe:
Make cuts at several points in the membranes surrounding the ossibuchi or they will shrink, causing the ossibuchi to curl as they cook.
Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pan or Dutch oven large enough to hold the ossibuchi without stacking them, and sauté the onion, seasoning it with salt and pepper to taste, till the onions are translucent.
Meanwhile, flour the ossibuchi. Then remove the onion from the pan, setting it aside, and brown the ossibuchi on both sides, sprinkling them every now and then with the wine. When the wine is completely evaporated, return the onion to the pot, and add the broth and tomato paste. Check the seasoning and simmer, covered, until done (about two hours - the meat should be very tender). If need be, add more broth to keep the ossibuchi from drying out.
While the ossibuchi are simmering, prepare the gremolada by mincing and combining the ingredients. When the ossibuchi are done, remove them to a platter. Reduce the sauce, if necessary, and add to it the gremolada. Cook the sauce for another minute, then pour it over the meat and serve, over a bed of rice or risotto alla Milanese.
Serves 4.
