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.

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.

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