Ossobuco alla milanese is Milan's slow-braised veal shank, cut crosswise to keep the marrow in the bone, stewed in white wine with vegetables and finished with a lemon-garlic-parsley gremolata.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
The ossobuco (literally 'bone with a hole') is first recorded in 19th-century Milanese trattoria menus as a working-quarter dish that made use of the cheaper veal shank cut. The Pellegrino Artusi 1891 codification calls for tomato in the sauce; the older purist version uses only white wine and brodo. The dish is served on its own or atop a saffron risotto giallo as the canonical riso e oss buss. The gremolata (the lemon zest, garlic and parsley raw garnish at the finish) is the dish's defining note. Trattoria Masuelli San Marco, Ratana, Trattoria del Nuovo Macello and Giannino all serve canonical versions; the marrow on toast is the bonus snack.
Tip from the editors. The marrow inside the bone is the prize. Eat it with a small spoon (a marrow scoop if you have one); spread on the gremolata, then on bread, then in the mouth.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
Trattoria Masuelli San Marco in Milan's Porta Romana has cooked the Lombard canon since 1921, family-run by the Masuelli family for four generations.
Signature: Risotto alla milanese, Ossobuco, Cassoeula
Order: The risotto alla milanese with bone marrow, the ossobuco and the cassoeula in winter.
Tip: Bookings open ten days ahead by phone. Cash and card; the wine list runs deep on Lombard producers.
Trattoria del Nuovo Macello in Milan's south-east has cooked the Lombard trattoria canon since 1927, near the old slaughterhouse. The risotto giallo and cotoletta al
Signature: Risotto alla milanese, Cotoletta alla milanese, Ossobuco
Order: The risotto alla milanese, the cotoletta alla milanese with bone in, and the ossobuco when on the carte.
Tip: Bookings open one month ahead on the website. Lunch is the calmer service; Friday evening fills up first.
Ratana in Milan's Isola district is Cesare Battisti's modern Lombard kitchen, housed in a 19th-century railway building since 2009. The risotto giallo and cotoletta
Signature: Risotto alla milanese, Cotoletta alla milanese, Ossobuco
Order: The risotto alla milanese with bone marrow, the cotoletta alla milanese and the ossobuco.
Tip: Bookings open three weeks ahead. Lunch sittings 12:30 and 14:00; dinner from 19:30. The garden is the spot in summer.
Giannino in Milan since 1899 is the historic Lombard dining room near Stazione Centrale, the family-run kitchen that has fed Milan's industrial bourgeoisie for four
Signature: Risotto alla milanese, Cotoletta alla milanese, Ossobuco con risotto
Order: The risotto alla milanese, the cotoletta alla milanese and the ossobuco con risotto plate.
Tip: Bookings open by phone or website; lunch sittings 12:30 and 13:30. The marble-and-mahogany dining room is the destination.
Savini in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele has cooked classical Lombard and Italian cuisine since 1867, the historic dining room of opera-going Milan.
Signature: Risotto alla milanese, Cotoletta alla milanese, Tortelli di zucca
Order: The risotto alla milanese, cotoletta alla milanese and the tortelli di zucca from Mantua.
Tip: Bookings open a month ahead. The post-Scala dinner sitting at 22:30 is when the opera crowd arrives.
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