Pappardelle with Ossobuco and Gremolata
This classic ossobuco sauce served with fresh, homemade pappardelle pasta and finished with a zingy gremolata is my idea of the perfect Sunday sauce. This is the type of sauce that can be thrown into the oven and left to do it’s thing, while you enjoy your weekend.
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 a zesty gremolata that cuts through the richness of the ragu. This is a meal for Sundays if I’ve ever seen one!
What is ossobuco?
Ossobuco is a bone in, cross-cut veal or beef shank, and translates to “bone with a hole” – referring the to distinguishing marrow found in this wonderful cut. It comes from the lower leg of the animal, and the resulting texture (thanks to the leg muscle) is tough, rich in collagen and absolutely full of flavour – cooking it slowly in a ragu like this is the perfect way to use it.
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.
Oh, and it’s worth noting that you’ll also find this spelt as osso buco. Ossobuco is the single-word Italian spelling, whereas osso buco is the English language adaptation – both are acceptable!
Reasons to love this pappardelle with ossobuco
- Low maintenance – the majority of cooking is done in the oven, making it perfect for a slow Sunday or entertaining.
- Affordable cut of meat – ossobuco can be found fairly widespread at an affordable price per kg, especially if you choose beef over veal (which can sometimes command more of a premium price).
- Melt-in-your mouth tender – cooking the ossobuco low and slow over a few hours results in the most luxurious, melt-in-your-mouth tender ragu.
Ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe
- Ossobuco – a bone in, cross-cut shank that’s available either as veal or beef.
- Celery, onion and garlic – finely diced and used to form the soffritto base of this ragu.
- Anchovy – adds umami and depth of flavour.
- Tomato paste – added for colour and flavour, it’s caramelised in the pan until it darkens in colour.
- White wine – used to deglaze the pan, white wine adds a completely different flavour profile to more commonly used red wine.
- Chicken stock – another alternative to a heartier beef stock, keeping this ragu lighter and doesn’t overwhelm the natural flavours of the ossobuco.
- Bouquet garni – bay, rosemary and cinnamon are tied together and added to the sauce before it goes into the oven.
- Parsley – creates the base of the gremolata sauce.
- Lemon – adds a wonderfully zesty, citrus note that cuts right through the ragu and adds balance.
How to make this dish (step-by-step)
1. Sear the ossobuco
Season 1/2 cup of plain flour with salt and pepper and coat the ossobuco pieces in it. Heat olive oil in a large, oven-proof pan and sear the ossobuco on both sides until beautiful golden before removing from the pan.
2. Build the ragu base
Add the celery and onion and sweat for several minutes before adding in garlic and anchovies. Once fragrant, add the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes until caramelised and darker in colour.
3. Deglaze the pan
Add white wine and reduce, scraping up all of the delicious golden bits from the ossobuco on the base of the pan.
4. Add the chicken stock, bouquet garni and ossobuco
Add the chicken stock, bouquet garni and nestle the seared ossobuco pieces back into the sauce.
5. Cook low and slow
Cover and cook in your preheated oven for 3.5-4 hours until the ossobuco meat is melt-in-your-mouth tender and falling away form the bone.
6. Finishing touches for the sauce
Shred the ossobuco meat and reserve any bones with bone marrow. Blend 2/3 of the sauce, then reduce over a medium heat on your stove top, before adding the shredded meat back in.
6. Prepare the gremolata
Chop the parsley and garlic, then combine with olive oil and lemon juice – seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Make the pappardelle
Follow the detailed steps in my detailed master pasta dough recipe. Once the dough has rested, roll into sheets of pasta and cut into widths of 2-3cm to form your pappardelle ribbons.
If you’d like to learn more about making the best fresh egg pasta dough to accompany this dish, including pasta ruvida (broken pasta), and pappardelle, check out my guide ‘Pasta, from scratch’ here.
Tips and tricks for making the perfect ossobuco ragu
- Sear the ossobuco in batches – it’s important not to overcrowd the pan when you’re searing the meat to ensure you get the best crust and colour on the ossobuco. When the pan is overcrowded, it reduces the temperature of the pan and can cause the meat to stew, rather than sear.
- Take your time building the ragu base – for the absolute best depth of flavour, take your time building the ragu base, allowing each addition to cook properly before the next – i.e. allow the celery and onion to soften properly, let the anchovies breakdown naturally to a paste, let the tomato paste caramelise, properly reduce the wine and cook off the alcohol, etc.
- Shred the meat with some of the braising liquid to prevent it from drying out – by shredding the meat with some of the braising liquid, you’ll keep it moist and prevent it from drying out as it cools.
FAQs about this pappardelle with ossobuco
Do I have to use pappardelle?
While I have a personal preference for pappardelle in this recipe, you can absolutely use another shape. I think flat, long pastas like tagliatelle or fettuccine would work well, otherwise a short pasta shape like rigatoni or orecchiette.
Can I make this ragu in advance?
This ragu is absolutely fantastic the next day, I often like to make it in advance for that exact reason. Simply store in the fridge, and reheat on the stovetop over a low heat – you can add a splash of water to the sauce to help loosen it without it drying out.
Best way to store this classic ossobuco?
Once cooked you can store in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for a couple of months. However I do think it’s best to store the sauce on its own and cook yourself pasta when you serve it at a later time, this will ensure your pasta stays nice and al dente!
Can I use another cut of meat?
If you can’t find veal ossobuco, you can also us beef ossobuco instead (bonus is that it’s generally a cheaper option, too!). Alternatively, you could use oxtail as a substitute, as it has similar connective tissue and suits the same cooking approach.
That’s it for this ossobuco with pappardelle recipe! If you make it, I’d love to see! Tag me on Instagram or Pinterest. If you’re looking for some other delicious ragus, check out these recipes below! Happy cooking 🙂
Pappardelle with Ossobuco and Gremolata
Ingredients
Pappardelle
Ossobuco
- 1-1.2 kg 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
- 750 ml-1ltr chicken stock
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 rosemary sprigs
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Pecorino or Parmigiano to serve
Gremolata
- Bunch of fresh parsley
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- Lots of extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Pappardelle
- Make the pasta dough according to my master dough recipe.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Use a knife and in one smooth motion, cut widths of 2-3cm to create the pappardelle ribbons.
- Unfold the ribbons and dust in fine semolina.
- Set aside in loose nests on a clean and dry tea towel until ready to cook.
Ossobuco
- Preheat oven to 170c (150c fan).
- Place the flour on a large plate and season with salt and pepper. Season the ossobuco with a touch more salt, then coat each piece in the flour and dust off any excess.
- 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).
- Sear the ossobuco in batches until you have a nice colour on all sides. Transfer out of the pan and set aside.
- To the same pan, add the onion and celery and sauté gently for several minutes before adding in the garlic and anchovy – allowing this to cook gently until the garlic is fragrant and the anchovy has broken down to a paste.
- Make some space in the pan and add the tomato paste, let it cook for a couple of minutes until it darkens slightly in colour and become caramelised.
- Deglaze with white wine, and let it reduce over a minute or two, then in with the chicken stock. I tend to add 750ml to start and keep extra on hand if needed later on.
- Make a bouquet garni with the rosemary, bay and cinnamon and add to the stock.
- 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. Check the ragu halfway to make sure it’s not drying out – if it is, you can add some of the remaining stock.
- Once the meat is tender, remove the bouquet garni and discard.
- Transfer the meat and bone marrow out of the pan with a little bit of the braising liquid to keep it warm and moist. Shred the meat with a fork, reserve the bones containing that lovely marrow and keep covered and warm.
- 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.
- Place the sauce back on a medium heat and 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
- Roughly chop the parsley and garlic – you can chop it finely or keep it a bit more rustic, it's really up to you.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice and enough olive oil to cover the parsley.
- Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Finishing touches
- Bring a pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil.
- Cook the pappardelle for 2-3 minutes until al dente.
- Drop the pasta directly into the ragu with some of the pasta water and toss until beautifully coated.
- Drizzle with gremolata, and serve with the bone marrow on the side, if you like.
