At the base of the typical ossobuco with risotto is the oss büs, the Milanese word for the bone marrow used in the dish. There’s no question that this recipe originated in Lombardy, but how it was created is still unclear. Some historians claim that it dates back to medieval times, as the use of marrow bones and veal shanks was quite common in 14th-century cuisine. But there’s not much evidence other than some information found in a few books from the 19th century. We have to thank the father of Italian cuisine, Pellegrino Artusi, for the first recipe, paired with saffron, which he included in his seminal 1891 book La Scienza in Cucina e l’Arte del Mangiare Bene (Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well). Ossobuco with risotto is a rather unique dish; it was once a classic Sunday lunch and is still the pinnacle of Lombard tradition. And yet, it took 115 years from the very first publication of its recipe for it to be recognized – in December 2007 – as a traditional local product and be granted what is known as a Denominazione Comunale (or De.Co.) label from the Milan municipality. While it’s certainly delicious with polenta or mashed potatoes, the true pleasure of pairing it with risotto alla milanese reigns supreme.
Ossobuco comes from the veal shank
Ossobuco comes from 1 1/2-inch-thick slices of a milk-fed veal shank or hock. The bone marrow contained in the hole, together with the connective tissue in which this cut is rich, helps create its characteristic creaminess. According to traditional Milanese tales, what was left over of the marrow was extracted from the bone with a small pointed spoon called an esattore (which also ironically means “tax collector” in Italian). The best ossobuco is cut halfway along the hind muscle, where the bone is rich in marrow while the meat is more tender and less sinewy. It’s interesting that in such a traditional Lombard recipe, gremolada (from the archaic Milanese word gremolà, which meant to chop or mince) or “gremolata” is an absolute must: a sauce composed of finely chopped lemon zest, garlic, and parsley that provides the ossobuco with quite an unusual touch. It can be added just before the ossobuco is finished cooking or served raw as a side.
There’s even a confraternity...
Since 2015, the ÒSSBUS Confraternita dell’Ossobuco alla Milanese (the Ossobuco Confraternity) has offered members a basic recipe with a few twists: anchovies in the gremolata, a touch of tomato sauce or tomato paste, extra-virgin olive oil either fully or partially replacing the butter. The Grand Master is Lino Gagliardi, owner of Antica Osteria La Rampina in San Giuliano Milanese and a good friend of the famous chef Gualtiero Marchesi – who, for the record, preferred rosemary in his gremolada instead of parsley, and always made it that way at his restaurant, Il Marchesino.
Here are ten places where you can savor ossobuco alla milanese, well- executed and in its original recipe, accompanied with young, lively wines such as a Bonarda or a Barbera d’Asti. And make sure you use the marrow spoon with care: el pusè bun (“the best” in Milanese) is in there!