Osso Buco Alla Milanese

This Osso Buco alla Milanese is made with veal shanks, carrots, celery, onions, tomatoes, white wine, broth, thyme and is braised to perfection.

This is an Italian classic that requires braising delicious veal shanks. Osso Buco means “pierced bone” in Italian, and the bone marrow is really where you get most of the flavor. I used to always order this at Il Buco, one of the finer and fancier restaurants here in New York City.  It is traditional to use olive oil for the browning process, but I love browning with butter. It just gives it so much more flavor. I have also seen other recipes that uses pancetta and it is thrown in when the vegetables are, adding a lovely flavor dimension.

It is traditional to use veal shanks for Osso Buco, and it is what most restaurants use when you order it. Sometimes, it can be difficult to find in your local grocery store, and you will have more luck at the butcher.  Alternative cuts you can use include bone-in beef chuck, bone-in pork butt or shoulder.

Check out my Lamb Lollipops recipe on my website.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top tip
• Osso Buco Alla Milanese

Ingredients

• Veal Shanks
• Flour
• Butter
• Carrots
• Onion
• Celery
• Garlic
• Tomato Paste
• White Wine
• San Marzano Tomatoes
• Vegetable, Beef or Chicken Broth
• Thyme
• Bay Leaves

See recipe card for quantities.

It is spectacular how much flavor the bone and marrow gives to the dish. The rich marrow renders all that flavor during the braising, which bastes the meat and infuses in the sauce. The traditional way to serve Osso Buco is with gremolata. It is a mixture of lemon zest, parsley and garlic, which can be pulsed in a food processer.

The veal shanks I got were from the butcher here in NYC, and the hunks of meat were massive. This is why I only bought two of them, because it was enough to feed four people. Some other grocery stores or butchers sell smaller sizes, and those usually take much less time to cook. Cooking time truly varies depending on the size of the shanks, and you know it is ready when the meat falls off the bone. The inside of the bone is also edible, but requires work to get it out. I used the end of a teaspoon and it is so rich in flavor. You should serve your Osso Buco with polenta, risotto, pasta or even mashed potatoes.

Instructions

If you wish the tie the shanks with a kitchen string, you can do so now. This is just for presentation purposes and will not affect the taste.

Start by dredging the shanks with flour.

In a large Dutch oven or lidded pot big enough to hold the veal in a single layer, start by melting the butter on medium-high heat. Add the shanks and brown on both sides, allowing them to become dark. Remove and set aside on a plate and lower heat to medium.

Add the onions, carrots, and celery, stirring until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, until the garlic is fragrant, about a minute longer.

Raise heat to medium-high and pour in the wine, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon until the brown bits on the bottom have dissolved. Stir in the crushed tomato and broth. Add the thyme and bay leaves.

Return the shanks back into the Dutch oven, basting with the sauce. Season well with salt and pepper.

Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for an hour and a half. Uncover the pot and raise to medium heat and bring sauce to a simmer. Cook until the sauce reduces and thickens.

Optional: serve with gremolata.  

Hint: When you sear the osso buco, the heat should be on medium-high heat. Make sure to lower the temperature when covering.

Substitutions

• Veal Shanks: Alternative cuts you can use include bone-in beef chuck, bone-in pork butt or shoulder.
• Flour: If you would like to make this keto, I would use almond flour.
• Vegetables: Using carrots, onion and celery is an amazing combination, although I have seen some recipes use bell peppers instead of carrots.
• Tomato paste: Using tomato paste in the sautéed vegetables adds tons of savoriness and ups the complexity factor in a big way.
• White wine: If you do not want to use white wine, you can substitute using broth instead. This would equal 2 cups of broth. I wouldn’t skip the wine though!
• Broth: You can use vegetable, chicken or beef broth, although I highly recommend using beef broth.
• Tomatoes: It is best to use San Marzano whole peeled tomato in a can and crushing it with your hands. Alternatively, you can used diced or crushed tomatoes in a can.
• Herbs: I used thyme and bay leaves although I have seen others use dried thyme and or fresh rosemary leaves.  

Variations

Cooking is a great way to get creative! Feel free to modify to your liking.

• Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
• Deluxe - Serve on a bed of pasta or egg noodles.
• Kid friendly - Make a sandwich out of the meat.

See Wagyu recipe or my reverse seared cowboy steak on my website.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality. Get yourself a discount by clicking here!

Storage

This dish tastes amazing the next day. When its’s don’t cooking, allow it to cool before storing it in an airtight container. It will last up to 4 days in the refrigerator, and three months in the freezer.  

Top tip

Feel free to modify this recipe to however YOU will like it. Check out the substitutions to see how you can achieve that.

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