How to Make Ossobucco

A specialty of Lombard cuisine, Ossobuco is a rich sauce where cross-cut beef shanks and braised vegetables are suspended in a delicious white wine broth. Whilst there is no denying that Ossobucco originated in Lombardia, the town to which this dish belongs is a matter of some dispute. In 2007, the City Council of Milan added Oss Buss (Ossobuco in Milanese dialect) to their list of Denominazioni Comunali - community denominations - substantiating their claim to its heritage. However, other smaller towns still profess to have created this well-loved Italian sauce.

So that you can try making this tasty winter warmer for yourself, we’ve put together a straightforward recipe including helpful tips from Roberta, our lovely head chef!

Our Ossobucco Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 beef shin bones with marrow (you can use veal if you prefer as this is the traditional meat for the dish) - the thicker and meatier the better
• 10g dried porcini mushrooms
• 200ml boiling water
• Handful of plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
• 50g butter
• 3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 large celery stick, diced
• 200ml dry white wine
• 225ml tomato passata
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 1 small bunch parsley, washed and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• Zest of 2 lemons

Method

• Soak the porcini mushrooms in 200ml boiling water for a minimum of 15 minutes
• Trim off any big lumps of fat on the beef shins and dust each piece on both sides with the seasoned flour
• Heat the butter and oil over a medium heat in a large pan or casserole dish. When it is properly hot and the butter has melted, fry the onion. Then add the beef (known as ossibuchi) and fry each slice for 2-3 minutes on both sides until golden brown
• Add the white wine to the pan and when the alcohol has evaporated add in the chopped celery, carrot and the vegetable stock
• Take the porcini mushrooms out of their water (reserving the liquid) and squeeze out the excess moisture. Chop the porcini and add to the pan along with their soaking liquid
• Add the passata and stir everything together
• Mix together the parsley, garlic and lemon zest to make a gremolata and add this to the pan after about an hour of cooking
• The sauce should become nice and thick, but if, after an hour or so, it is still thin, slightly open the lid and allow some of the liquid to evaporate
• Serve with Risotto Milanese for an authentic taste of Lombardy!

The key thing to remember with Ossobucco is that the longer it cooks for, the more tender and succulent the meat will become. 2 hours is our minimum guideline, but if you have longer, then by all means allow it to simmer for even more time.