• The flavour will be even better if made the day before.

    Osso Buco with gremolata

    Serves: 6
    Cooking Time: 2 hours 30 mins

    Ingredients

    • 80g butter
    • 2 large onions, finely chopped
    • 3 celery sticks, finely chopped
    • 3 carrots, finely chopped
    • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    • 2 lemon peel strips
    • 50ml flat-leaf parsley, chopped
    • 3 bay leaves
    • 4 fresh thyme sprigs
    • 80ml extra virgin olive oil
    • 6 slices veal shank, 2cm – 3cm thick
    • seasoned flour
    • 230ml good-quality white wine
    • 2 x 410g tins chopped tomatoes
    • 230ml light meat stock
    • salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • GREMOLATA
    • 10ml lemon peel
    • 2 – 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    • 10ml flat-leaf parsley, chopped

    Instructions

    1

    Preheat the oven to 200°C. Choose an oven dish or shallow casserole big enough to hold the meat slices.

    2

    Fry the butter, onion, celery, carrot and garlic in a frying pan for 5 – 10 minutes, adding the lemon peel and herbs halfway through. Place the vegetables in an oven dish and keep warm.

    3

    Heat the oil in the same pan. Dip the veal slices into a plate of seasoned flour and fry a few pieces at a time until they are a golden colour. Place the veal pieces on the vegetables.

    4

    Pour off the oil and deglaze the pan with the wine. When the wine has reduced by half, add the tomatoes and stock, and simmer for a minute. Pour over the veal.

    5

    Cover the dish tightly and cook until the meat is tender, turning and basting the meat from time to time, about 2 hours. Season at the end of the cooking time.

    6

    Combine the gremolata ingredients. Sprinkle over the top or stir into the osso buco just before serving with crusty bread and Milanese-style saffron risotto.