Name: Braised Veal Osso Buco with Gremolata
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 pieces veal shanks, tied with kitchen twine; ¼ cup all-purpose flour, for dredging; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 yellow onion, diced; 2 carrots, diced; 2 stalks celery, diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 cup dry white wine; 2 cups chicken stock; 14 oz can crushed tomatoes; 2 bay leaves; Salt and pepper, to taste; 1 lemon, zested; ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 1 clove garlic, minced, for gremolata

Braised Veal Osso Buco with Gremolata

Veal shanks braised until the meat falls from the bone, brightened at the end with a sharp lemon-parsley gremolata.

Serves

Prep

20 min

Cook

2 hr 30 min

Written

July 30, 2026

Method

Season the veal shanks generously with salt and pepper, then dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the shanks until deeply browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate.

Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook until softened and the onion turns translucent.

Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Pour in the white wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and simmer until reduced by half.

Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, and bay leaves, then nestle the shanks back into the pot so the liquid comes about two-thirds up the sides.

Cover and braise in a 325°F oven until the meat is fork-tender and pulling away from the bone, about 2½ hours.

Stir together the lemon zest, chopped parsley, and remaining garlic clove for the gremolata.

Spoon the shanks and braising liquid into shallow bowls and finish each with a spoonful of gremolata.

Notes

The shank is a working muscle, all collagen and connective tissue, which is exactly why it turns silky after two and a half hours at a bare simmer while a leaner cut would just go dry. Don’t rush the sear at the start — the browned bits it leaves behind are most of the sauce’s flavor, and the marrow in the bone is the reason to order this cut in the first place, so put out small spoons.

The gremolata isn’t a garnish so much as a correction: after two hours in the oven the sauce turns deep and a little heavy, and the raw lemon zest and garlic snap it back awake. This keeps and reheats better the next day, once the flavors have had time to settle — spoon it over soft polenta or mashed potatoes to catch the sauce.