I’m a huge proponent of slow cooked meats for fertility, pregnancy and postpartum - particularly in the colder months. Slow cooking meats makes them really easy to digest, allows you to use cheaper cuts of meat, and - if cooked on the bone - you can get all the benefits of the nutrients within the bone, such as mineral-rich bone marrow and gelatin.

Osso buco is traditionally made with veal shin but I like to do a mix of veal shin (or ox tail if you can’t find it) and ox cheek, which is a great source of protein and collagen-rich, making it great for supporting skin, joints, pregnancy and postpartum.

Osso buco is traditionally served with gremolata, which adds a wonderful zingyness and freshness to the dish - and with risotto alla milanese, a simple saffron risotto which I think is the perfect accompaniment to the stew. You could also serve it with mashed potatoes or polenta. You could even play around with adding some spices to the dish and serve with a couscous. The possibilities are endless!

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

3-4 pieces of veal shin or ox tail
2 ox cheeks
50g plain flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed whole
2 bay leaves
3 strips of lemon zest
6 anchovies
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp tomato puree
200ml white wine
750ml chicken stock (or beef stock) - preferably homemade
Salt & black pepper
Butter

Gremolata:

20g parsley (inc. stems), finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
Good pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Slice the ox cheeks into 6 even pieces. Coat each piece of meat (inc. veal shins) in a mix of the flour and a generous pinch of salt
Heat up the olive oil in a heavy pan (with a lid) that’s suitable for the oven. Once hot, add the meat and brown on each side. You may need to do this in batches. Set aside on a plate for now
Preheat the oven to 150C
If the pan is quite dry, add 1-2 tbsp of butter. Tip in the chopped onion, carrot and celery over a moderate-low heat and sweat down until soft (about 10 minutes)
Add in the garlic, bay leaves, lemon zest and anchovies and cook for a few more minutes
Add in the tomato puree and mix through
Return the meat to the pan and mix well
Pour in the white wine and bubble until reduced by half
Add in the stock and make sure that it’s covering or almost covering most of the meat - if you need to add more water / stock then do
Bring to a boil then turn off the heat, pop the lid on and put in the oven for 2 and a half hours. Check on it every hour just to make sure the meat is still mostly covered with the stock / to rotate the meat
Meanwhile, make the gremolata. Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix. Set aside until ready to serve
Once the meat is cooked, turn off the oven and leave the stew to rest in the oven for about 30 minutes to allow all the flavours to infuse
Once ready to serve, heat the dish through again if needed
Serve the osso buco on top of risotto alla milanese, mashed potato or polenta and top with the gremolata