Pappardelle with Ossobuco and Gremolata

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I have been making ossobuco in variations for many years, but I love this white wine/chicken stock combo which makes this one a little lighter and brighter than the red wine/passata types I have made in the past. I blend 2/3 of the sauce before reducing for the most glossy and luscious texture – perfect for pappardelle. Amplified by rustic (read: lazily chopped!) gremolata. This is a meal for Sundays if I’ve ever seen one! 

Ossobuco translates to “bone with a hole” – referring the to marrow found in the cross-cut shank. While more traditional ossobuco is served with a risotto or polenta, I love how its sauce grips to pappardelle – the smooth mouth-feel of the pasta reminding me why I love making it fresh so, so much. Pasta is surely one of life’s most humble luxuries. 

Serves 4

Ingredients 

For the pappardelle 

• 1 batch master pasta dough 

For the Ossobuco 

• 1-1.2kg ossobuco – roughly 4 pieces

• 1/2 cup plain flour 

• 1 large onion, finely diced 

• 2 medium celery sticks, finely diced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced 

• 6 anchovy fillets 

• 1 tbsp tomato paste 

• 1/2 cup white wine 

• 750ml-1ltr chicken stock 

• 3 bay leaves 

• 2 rosemary sprigs 

• 1 cinnamon stick 

• Pecorino or Parmigiano to serve 

For the gremolata 

• Bunch of fresh parsley 

• 1-2 garlic cloves 

• Juice of 1/2 a lemon 

• Lots of extra virgin olive oil 

Method 

Pappardelle 

1. Make the pasta dough.

2. Once rested, divide the dough into four pieces. Work with one at a time – flatten the piece with your hand or a rolling pin before passing it through the thickest setting on your pasta machine. Fold the edges in to create a neat rectangle that fits the width of your pasta machine, and run it through the thickest setting again until your dough is uniform in shape

3. Continue passing your dough through the machine, working through each thickness setting until you get to setting 6 – typically the 4th to last setting on most machines.

4. Take this sheet of dough and generously dust with fine semolina to prevent sticking. Let it sit out for about 5 minutes to dry slightly.

5. On one end of the pasta sheet, make a fold about 2cm in width. Do the same on the other side. Continue to fold both ends until they meet in the middle.

6. Use a knife and in one smooth motion, cut widths of 2-3cm to create the pappardelle ribbons.

7. Unfold the ribbons and dust in fine semolina.

8. Set aside in loose nests on a clean and dry tea towel until ready to cook.

Ossobuco 

1. Preheat oven to 170c (150c fan) 

2. Place the flour on a large plate and season with salt and pepper. Coat each piece of ossobuco in the flour and dust off any excess. 

3. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large oven proof pan (if you don’t have an oven proof pan you can do this in a normal pan and transfer to an oven dish later). 

4. Sear the ossobuco in batches until you have a nice colour on all sides. Transfer out of the pan and set aside. 

5. Add the onion and celery to the pan the ossobuco was in and sauté gently for a few minutes before adding the garlic and anchovy. Continue cooking gently until the garlic is fragrant and the anchovy has broken down to a paste.

6. Add the tomato paste and let it cook for a couple of minutes until it darkens slightly in colour.

7. Deglaze with white wine, then in with the chicken stock. I tend to add 750ml to start and keep extra on hand if needed later on. 

8. Make a bouquet garni with the rosemary, bay and cinnamon and add to the stock. 

9. Nestle the ossobuco back into the pan, cover tightly with foil and place in the centre of the oven for 3.5-4 hours, until the meat is incredibly tender, checking occasionally to make sure it’s not drying out – if it is, add the remaining stock. 

   Note: If you don’t have an oven proof pan, at this stage you can place the ossobuco and liquid into an oven safe dish. 

10. Remove the bouquet garni and discard.

11. Transfer the meat and bone marrow out of the pan. Shred the meat with a fork and keep covered and warm. 

12. Take about 2/3 of the braising liquid and blend until smooth, then transfer back to the remaining 1/3 in the pan and return to the heat. Reduce by about a 1/3 or until you have a pouring cream consistency. Add the shredded meat and bone marrow back in and keep warm.

Gremolata 

1. Roughly chop the parsley and garlic.

2. Squeeze in lemon juice and enough olive oil to cover the parsley.

3. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. 

Finishing touches 

1. Cook the pappardelle for 2-3 minutes until al dente. 

2. Drop directly into the ossobuco with some of the pasta water and toss until beautifully coated. 

3. Serve with dollops of gremolata, grated cheese and the bone marrow on the side, if you like.