Ossobuco: Braised Veal Shank

Ingredients

• 4 veal cross-cut shanks, each tied with kitchen twine around its circumference to hold the meat to the bone
• 50 g plain flour, for dredging
• 60 ml olive oil
• 250 ml dry white wine
• 250 ml veal or chicken broth, warm
• 200 g tomato, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped; or equivalent passata
• For the gremolata
• 1 lemon, zest only, finely grated
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method

1. 1
   Tie each veal shank firmly around its circumference with kitchen twine, securing the meat to the bone without cutting into the flesh. This is the step on which the dish lives or dies: a shank that separates from its bone during the braise loses its marrow into the sauce and cannot be served whole.
2. 2
   Dredge each tied shank lightly in flour, shaking off any excess. The flour coat must be thin and even — sufficient to produce a slightly thickened sauce and to regulate the Maillard reaction at the surface, not to form a crust. The shank should feel barely powdered to the touch.
3. 3
   Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy braising vessel over moderately high heat. Sear each shank on every surface — including the cut sides and the outer edge — until a deep, even brown crust forms. Do not move the shank until each face releases cleanly from the pan. The smell of caramelised flour and meat protein, without any scorching, confirms the Maillard reaction is complete.
4. 4
   Pour in the white wine and allow it to reduce by roughly half, scraping any browned deposits from the base of the pan. Add the broth and the tomato. The liquid should reach no higher than the lower third of the shanks — they are braised, not submerged. Adjust the quantity of broth if necessary before proceeding.
5. 5
   Cover the vessel tightly and braise at a gentle, steady simmer — barely a tremble at the surface — for approximately 2 hours, turning the shanks once at the midpoint and checking that the bottom third remains in contact with liquid throughout. At the end of this time the meat should yield at the lightest pressure of a spoon and the braising liquid should have developed considerable body from the dissolved collagen.
6. 6
   While the shanks rest briefly off the heat, combine the gremolata: finely grated lemon zest, minced garlic, and chopped parsley. Stir the gremolata through the braising liquid at the moment of service. The volatile compounds — limonene from the zest, allicin from the garlic — must remain uncooked; the dish is complete when the sharp, bright fragrance of the gremolata rises against the deep, gelatin-rich aroma of the braise.
7. 7
   Remove the kitchen twine before plating. Present each shank with its bone marrow intact in the cavity. The marrow is scooped from the bone and spread on bread or eaten directly — it is not optional. Spoon the braising liquid over each portion.