Deceptively simple yet layered with flavour, this dish is a favourite in our home — and one that offers wonderful flexibility. You can vary the cut depending on what’s available at your butcher, or what your wallet allows. We’ve made this recipe with turkey shanks when we lived in France, where they were easy to find, and of course with veal, the cut the original recipe was created for. Lamb shanks work beautifully too.
This dish originated in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its name, osso buco — “bone with a hole” — refers to the marrow-filled bone at its heart, and it’s a classic of both humble Milanese home cooking and noble tables alike.
The real beauty of this dish is that the oven does all the work, filling your home with wonderful aromas for hours.
Serve with egg noodles or the best mashed potatoes you can make.
Save it for special occasions — it’s well worth the wait.
Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 2–2¼ hours
Yield: 4 generous portions
Ingredients
4 Beef shanks (bone-in, with marrow)
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 Onion, minced
2 Celery stalks, diced
2 Carrots, diced
2 Garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
400 Gr. crushed tomatoes
150 Ml white wine
300 Ml beef broth
20 Gr, butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 Bay leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste
Gremolata
- 1 tablespoon orange or lemon zest
- 1 handful Italian parsley, finely minced
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
PREPARATION
Lightly flour each beef shank, then brown them on both sides in a large cast iron casserole (a Le Creuset-type pot with a lid is ideal) in the olive oil and butter. Remove and set aside.
In the same pot, sauté the onion, carrot, and celery for about two minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and mix well.
Return the meat to the pot and pour in the white wine to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits. Add the crushed tomatoes and beef broth, then season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic cloves and bay leaves.
Stir well, cover, and place in a 180°C oven for two hours, or until the meat is meltingly tender.
Meanwhile, make the gremolata by combining the chopped parsley, minced garlic, and citrus zest. Sprinkle over the shanks just before serving.
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