OSSO BUCO CON RISOTTO MILANESE
Braised Veal with Saffron Risotto
This stalwart of the cucina Milanese is always a welcome addition to the autumn and winter dinners. The most spectacular part of this dish is not the slowly braised succulent meat but the bone marrow at its centre. As a child, whenever my mother made this I would lurk in the kitchen and steal all the bone marrow, much to the dismay of the rest of the family. To round out the meal serve the osso buco with saffron risotto and the aromatic freshness of gremolata.
Serves 6
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 veal osso buco, cut 5 cm thick
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, finely diced
2 carrots, cut into 5 mm dice
2 sticks celery, cut into 5 mm dice
½ long red chilli, chopped
4 tablespoons chopped sage
2 bay leaves
½ nutmeg, grated
4 tablespoons tomato paste
200 ml white wine
1 x 400 g tin whole peeled tomatoes
2 litres chicken stock or water
Gremolata
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
½ clove garlic, finely chopped
Saffron Risotto
1 marrow bone, bones cut lengthways (ask your butcher to do this for you)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 golden shallot, finely chopped
300 g vialone nano rice
Pinch of good-quality saffron threads
1.2 litres chicken stock, hot
80 g Parmigiano, grated
50 g unsalted butter
Sea salt
Method
Heat 1½ tablespoons olive oil in a large flameproof casserole over medium-high heat and sear the osso buco on both sides, in batches if necessary, until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
Heat the remaining olive oil in the casserole and reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic and onion and cook for 2–3 minutes or until they start to caramelise. Stir in the carrot, celery, chilli, sage and bay leaves and cook for 5–10 minutes, then add the nutmeg and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and bring to the boil. Add the peeled tomatoes and stock or water and bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170°C (fan-forced).
Return the osso buco to the casserole and make sure it is well covered with the sauce. Cover and cook in the oven for 1½ hours or until the point of a knife can easily be inserted into the meat.
To make the gremolata, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Cover and keep in the fridge until needed.
To make the saffron risotto, place the marrow bone halves in a bowl of cold water and refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove the bones from the water and push out the marrow from the bone using your fingers, trying to keep the pieces as large as possible.
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and raw marrow and cook for 3–5 minutes or until the shallot is translucent. Add the rice and stir for a minute or two to toast the grains, then mix in the saffron threads. Add three-quarters of the hot stock, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook gently, stirring from time to time, for 18 minutes or until the rice is almost cooked through, adding the remaining stock if needed. Add the Parmigiano, butter and a little salt if needed and stir vigorously until combined and the rice has a creamy texture.
Sprinkle the gremolata over the osso buco and serve with the saffron risotto.