Ossobuco alla Milanese

Method

1. Pat the shanks dry with kitchen paper. Make 3 or 4 small cuts, 1 cm deep, through the thin skin around the edge of each slice so it doesn't curl up while cooking; if you have kitchen string, tie it once around each shank to hold the meat to the bone. Sprinkle both sides with most of the salt, then dust with the flour and tap off the excess: a thin, even coat browns better and thickens the sauce later.

   Add in this stepVeal shank, cross-cut 3–4 cm thick (about 300 g each) 2Salt ½ tspPlain flour, for dusting 2 tbsp

2. Heat the oil and half the butter in a heavy 24 cm pan or casserole with a lid over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, lay in the shanks flat in one layer and brown them for 8 min in total, turning once, until both sides are deep golden. Don't move them early: they release from the pan by themselves once a crust forms. Lift onto a plate.

   Add in this stepOlive oil 1½ tbspButter 10 g

   medium-high heat

3. Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery (pieces about 5 mm). Turn the heat down to medium heat, add the rest of the butter to the same pan and cook the vegetables for 7 min, stirring and scraping up the brown bits, until soft and translucent but not browned.

   Add in this stepButter 10 gOnion 1Carrot ½Celery stalk 1

   medium heat

4. Return the shanks and any juices to the pan. Turn the heat to medium-high heat, pour in the wine and let it bubble for 2 min, until the sharp alcohol smell has gone and the liquid has reduced by about half.

   Add in this stepDry white wine 100 ml

   medium-high heat

5. Pour in the hot stock with the remaining salt; it should come about halfway up the meat. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover, turn down to low heat and braise for 1 h 25 min, turning the shanks once halfway. Check from time to time: it should barely bubble, and if the liquid drops below a third of the way up, add a splash of hot water. It is done when a fork slides in with no resistance and the meat starts to come away from the bone.

   Add in this stepBeef or veal stock (hot) 400 mlSalt ¼ tsp

   medium-high heat→low heat

6. While the meat braises, make the gremolata: grate only the yellow zest of the lemon (the white pith is bitter), chop the garlic very finely and mix both with the parsley. Make it shortly before serving so it stays fresh and fragrant.

   Add in this stepUnwaxed lemon (zest only) ½Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 2 tbspGarlic clove 1

7. Remove the lid. If the sauce is thin, boil it gently over medium heat for 3 min, spooning it over the meat, until it lightly coats the back of a spoon. Season with pepper, taste and add salt only if needed. Cut off the string, plate the shanks with plenty of sauce and scatter the gremolata on top just before serving. Scoop out the soft marrow in the bone with a small spoon: in Milan it's the best bite.

   Add in this stepBlack pepper to taste

   medium heat