A favourite of mine, Ossobuco is Italian for "bone with a hole" (osso "bone", buco "hole"), a reference to the marrow hole at the centre of the cross-cut veal shank. The marrow in the hole in the bone, a prized delicacy, is the defining feature of the dish.
This used to be an inexpensive dish but now those pieces of meat can get pricey. Some people will use pork, but I still prefer veal.
Melt the butter (with some olive oil) in a frying pan large enough to hold the meat slices without crowding.
Roll the pieces of meat in the flour and put them in the pan on medium heat to brown them on both sides.
Add the onion, carrot, celery and half the garlic, marjoram and lemon zest. Salt and pepper.
When the vegetables have coloured a bit, add the wine and, on medium heat, reduce the liquid, to almost nothing.
Add the tomatoes and about 6 tablespoons of bouillon (it could even be water). Cover, lower the heat and simmer for one hour and a half. Add bouillon as needed so that the sauce does not thicken too much.
A few minutes before the end of the cooking time add the "gremolata" (lemon and orange zest, chopped parsley and crushed garlic) as well as the orange juice. Let cook a few minutes more.
I like to serve this with risotto, or egg noodles.
Servings 6