Ingredients
For the osso buco
- 4 beef shanks (about 400g each, 4–5 cm thick)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 250 ml dry white wine
- 400 g tinned crushed tomatoes
- 500 ml beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the gremolata
- 2 lemons
- 30 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
For serving
- 1 L whole milk
- 250 g polenta (cornmeal)
- 100 g butter
- 75 g parmesan, finely grated
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp white pepper
Method
Prepare and brown
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan-forced.
Pat the beef shanks dry with paper towels and season generously on all sides with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based casserole over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes.
Working in batches if needed, brown the shanks for 3–4 minutes per side until deeply golden (don't crowd the pan). Transfer to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium, add the onion, carrot, and celery to the same casserole, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly coloured.
Add the crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Braise
Pour in the white wine, scraping the bottom of the casserole with a wooden spoon to lift any browned bits. Simmer for 2 minutes.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, bay leaves, and thyme. Return the shanks to the casserole, nestling them into the liquid. The liquid should come two-thirds of the way up the sides of the meat.
Bring to a gentle simmer on the stovetop, then cover with the lid and transfer to the oven.
Braise for 2½–3 hours, turning the shanks halfway through (at 1 hour 15 minutes). The meat should be fork-tender and the sauce should have reduced slightly and deepened in colour.
Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Make the gremolata
While the meat is cooking, zest both lemons to give about 2 tbsp zest.
Finely chop the parsley and mince the garlic.
In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest, parsley, and garlic. Set aside until ready to serve.
Make the polenta
About 20 minutes before the osso buco is ready, pour the milk into a large saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin forming.
Slowly whisk in the polenta, a handful at a time, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. The mixture will splutter slightly—be careful.
Reduce heat to low and stir frequently for 15–20 minutes until the polenta is thick, creamy, and pulls away from the sides of the pan when you stir.
Remove from heat, stir in the butter, parmesan, salt, and white pepper until smooth and glossy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve
Spoon the warm polenta into four serving bowls or onto plates.
Top each with a beef shank and a generous ladle of the braising liquid and vegetables.
Sprinkle the gremolata over the top just before serving.
