Not many stews or casseroles make it to restaurant menus. You may find coq au vin or beef bourguignon in a French restaurant or lamb shanks with mash may turn up at the local pub, but as a general rule, slow cooked meat dishes lie in the domain of the home cook, of hearty – yet delicious – comfort food. Osso buco is another exception to the rule. For osso buco is more than the sum of its parts. Why is osso buco so popular? The magic lies in the use of veal shanks, which are extraordinarily high in collagen. As they slowly cook the collagen breaks down creating a gloriously sticky sauce that bastes the meat resulting in an elegant yet hearty dish that also packs a nutritious punch. I mean why take collagen supplements when you can eat the real deal? Why is this our best osso buco recipe? Our favourite osso buco recipe makes use of the slow cooker to get the desired results. After an initial fry off, the ingredients get to slowly mingle and cook until full flavoured and spoon-tender. Don’t forget to sprinkle with the gremolata. This simple concoction of lemon zest, parsley and garlic elevates this simple “stew” to heavenly status. What’s the best thing to serve with osso buco? While we serve our osso buco with polenta, it can also be served with risotto, or you can remove the meat from the bones to make a perfect pie filling or to toss through cooked fresh pasta. For more inspiration, we have plenty of veal recipes that’ll have your dinner menu sorted. Additional recipe notes by Alison Adams - Food Writer and Recipe Tester