Ossobuco Alla Milanese
By RecipeLot
Ossobuco, when loosely translated from Italian, means hollowed bone; a reference to the large piece of marrow in the center of the veal shank bone.[http://www.answers.com/topic/osso-buco Definition of ossobuco on Answers.com] It's a Milanese speciality of veal shanks cooked in meat broth and flavored with white wine.[http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/osso-buco-recipe/index.html Giada De Laurentiis' recipe for ossobuco on the Food Network website] Slowly braised, this relatively tough, yet flavorful cut of meat becomes meltingly tender, and the connective tissues and marrow dissolve into the sauce, making it rich and creamy. The shank is a relatively cheap cut of veal which is readily available in most good supermarkets and butcher shops. Look for meaty hind-shanks cut from the top of the thigh [http://visual.merriam-webster.com/food-kitchen/food/meat/cuts-veal.php Cuts of veal as displayed on Merriam-Webster.com] with a high proportion of meat to bone. Each piece should be about five inches across and one-inch to one-and-a-half inches thick. This dish probably had its origins in a Milanese farmhouse during the late nineteenth century and most likely did not originally include tomatoes, a New World vegetable.[http://www.cliffordawright.com/caw/recipes/display/bycategory.php/recipe_id/726/id/38/ Info from Clifford A. Wright on ossobuco] Ossobuco first became popular in the osterie of Milan, which were neighborhood restaurants of Italy's large cities. These catered to the neighborhood's local residents but rarely if ever to tourists and foreigners. Traditional ossobuco was prepared with cinnamon, allspice, bay leaf and gremolata and today is called ossobuco in bianco (ossobuco in white sauce). The modern version has, by and large, replaced the older one. This new version includes tomatoes and mirepoix: carrot, celery and onion, flavored with herbs but no gremolata (although hybrid versions exist which include both tomato and gremolata). Risotto alla milanese is traditionally served with ossobuco, but goes well with polenta or mashed potatoes.
- Cooking time: 120 minutes
- Servings: 4