Grass-Fed Beef · Italian
Ossobuco alla Milanese with Gremolata
Ossobuco—'bone with a hole'—is Milan's great Sunday braise: cross-cut shanks cooked slowly until the meat falls from the bone and the marrow turns silky. Grass-fed shanks are lean, flavorful and rich in collagen, which melts into a glossy sauce when braised in our organic bone broth.
- Prep25 min
- Cook150 min
- Total175 min
- Servings4
Ingredients
- 4 organic grass-fed ossobuco slices (beef shank, about 4 cm thick) $385
- Flour for dusting, salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups organic beef bone broth $215
- 2 bay leaves and 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 extra marrow bones to enrich the braise (optional) $310
- Gremolata: zest of 1 lemon, 1 garlic clove and 3 tbsp parsley, finely chopped together
- Saffron risotto or soft polenta to serve
Instructions
- Snip the membrane around each shank in 2–3 places so they don't curl. Tie kitchen string around the circumference. Season and dust with flour.
- Heat oil and butter in a heavy Dutch oven and brown the shanks well on both sides, 4–5 minutes per side. Set aside.
- Lower the heat, add onion, carrot and celery and cook 8 minutes until soft; add garlic for the last minute.
- Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits; reduce by half.
- Add tomatoes, bone broth, bay and thyme. Return the shanks (and extra marrow bones) in a single layer; the liquid should come two-thirds up the meat.
- Cover and braise in a 160 °C oven or over very low heat for 2–2½ hours, turning once, until the meat is fork-tender.
- Remove the string, check the seasoning and reduce the sauce if needed.
- Sprinkle with gremolata just before serving over saffron risotto or polenta—with a small spoon for the marrow.
Tips
- The gremolata goes on at the very end; its fresh lemon lifts the rich braise.
- Like most braises, ossobuco is even better reheated the next day.
