OSSOBUCO WITH GREMOLATA AND RISOTTO MILANESE

• 4 thick beef shanks
• 2 tbsps. of flour
• 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 4 carrots, cut into thick pieces
• 1 can tomatoes concassed
• 1 liter of fresh meat broth (or 1 cube of beef broth dissolved in 1 liter of water)
• 1 tbsp. of tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf

for the risotto

• 75g of butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 250g rice for risotto
• 1 pinch of saffron
• 850ml chicken broth
• 60gr Parmesan cheese, finely gratted

for the gremolata

• lemon zest
• good handful of chopped parsley
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

For ossobuco: Heat a little olive oil in a large pan. Flour the meat, put it in the pan as soon as the olive oil heats up and leave until it is browned on both sides. Remove it and add onion, garlic and carrots to the pan. Cook them until they are slightly softened. Put the mixture in a pot with lid, add tomatoes, broth, tomato paste and bay leaf, and let it boil for 10 minutes on high heat by stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium - low, add the meat, close the pot with the lid and leave for 4 to 5 hours or until the meat is tender. Season with salt and pepper and it’s ready. Mix the ingredients of gremolata and keep it aside for serving.

For the risotto: Melt the butter in a saucepan and sauté onion for 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook for a few minutes by stirring continuously to avoid sticking to the pan. Add the saffron to chicken broth, stir well and add a tablespoon to the pan, each time. Stir continuously until the broth is absorbed and then add the next tablespoon. After 20 minutes, check if the rice has been cooked - the grains should still have a very small crispness. Once it’s ready, add Parmesan and plenty of seasoning.

To serve, spread the gremolata over the meat and put the risotto on the side.