Osso Bucco with gremolata and risotto alla Milanese

Ingredients

4 thick slices of rose veal shin

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 stick celery, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled, roughly chopped

Small bunch of sage leaves

200ml white wine

300ml chicken stock

Sea salt

Ground black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon plain flour

For the gremolata:

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

5 tablespoons roughly chopped flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons lemon zest

For the risotto alla Milanese:

1 onion, finely diced

400g Arborio rice

Teaspoon saffron strands

Olive oil

Butter

1.5 litres chicken stock

5 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Method

Heat a knob of butter and a splash of oil in a casserole pot over a medium to high heat. Dust the veal shin slices in flour and season with salt and pepper. Once the pan is hot, add the veal and brown on both sides.

Remove the veal from the pan, turn the heat down low and add the vegetables and sage leaves. Season the vegetables with a little salt and pepper, and fry them gently until they start to soften.

Add the white wine and continue to cook until the wine has almost completely reduced.

Add the chicken stock, cover with a lid and simmer gently over a low heat for 1½ hours, carefully turning half way through. The veal is ready once it is extremely tender and falling off the bone, and the bone marrow will have cooked out of the bone, enhancing the sauce.

For the risotto, you need to have the chicken stock in a saucepan gently simmering on the stove.

Melt the butter in a thick-bottomed pan over a medium heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the diced onion, season with salt and pepper, and add the saffron. Fry gently until soft, stirring continuously, but do not colour the onion.

Add the rice to the onion and saffron, and continue to fry gently, stirring all the time so the rice is coated with the onion and saffron and absorbing their flavours. Don’t let the rice stick to the pan. It will begin to crackle after a minute or two - now it’s time to add the wine. Let the wine bubble until it has almost completely reduced and been absorbed.

Start adding the hot stock, one ladle at a time, making sure that almost all the stock is absorbed before you add the next ladle. Stir continuously so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Continue adding the stock until almost all of it has been absorbed and the rice is softened, but still firm to the bite (al dente).

To finish, stir in a good knob of butter and 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan, and stir vigorously. Season with pepper, and if necessary a little salt, although the Parmesan should have added the required saltiness. The risotto should have a loose creamy consistency. If it’s too thick, add a little more butter and stock. Take the risotto off the heat and leave to stand for 2 minutes before serving.

For the gremolata, simply mix the parsley, garlic and lemon zest. Serve the Osso Bucco on warmed plates with some of the rich, reduced sauce and a good sprinkling of gremolata. Serve the risotto topped with a nice amount of freshly grated Parmesan.

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