Peel and slice the onions.

In half of the oil, cook them over medium heat for 20 minutes in a large skillet or wide pot, stirring from time to time. They should be golden yellow, but not too browned.

Add half of the white wine, stir, and cook over low heat for another 10 minutes. When done, set the onions aside on a plate.

While the onions are cooking, prepare the veal shank. Cut into the tendons around the edges in 3–4 places with sharp kitchen scissors or a knife, so the slices curl up as little as possible during searing and cooking. Salt and pepper both sides of the meat.

Dredge the meat slices in flour, shake off the excess, and place them on a plate.

Pour the other half of the oil into the pot used for the onions, and add the butter. Melt the butter over high heat, then add the meat slices. Brown them on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. If the meat doesn’t fit into the pot all at once, as it didn’t in my case, brown it in two batches.

Add the remaining wine, pour in enough stock to almost cover the meat, and add the onions. If you’re using unsalted stock, add more salt at this point. If the meat doesn’t fit in one layer, you can stack the slices during cooking. But pour in only enough stock to just cover the first layer.

Start cooking it covered over low heat. After half an hour, carefully turn the meat over. If your skillet doesn’t have a lid, use aluminum foil. Take care that the meat doesn’t fall apart when turning, and that the marrow doesn’t come out. If you stacked the meat slices, move the top ones to the bottom when turning so every slice softens evenly.

Cook the meat for another 45–60 minutes, until completely tender. This makes the total cooking time 75–90 minutes. It depends on the thickness of the meat slices, and even on the skillet. It’s better to cook it longer so it becomes completely soft and tender, rather than leaving it even slightly chewy.

While the meat is braising in the second round, after turning, put the water on to boil with the salt for the polenta. When it comes to a boil, add the cornmeal in a few batches, stirring constantly.

Cook over very low heat, stirring almost constantly, for about 50 minutes. In practice, by the time the polenta is ready, the osso buco will be ready too.

Pour the finished polenta onto a large wooden platter or cutting board, smooth it out, and let it cool until you serve the meat.

Finally, make the gremolata fresh. To do this, grate the lemon zest, peel the garlic, and crush it with the flat side of a large knife. Remove the thicker stems from the parsley. Finely chop the garlic and parsley with a sharp knife, then add the grated lemon zest. Gremolata is an indispensable element and a wonderful finishing touch for Milanese osso buco.