Sauté the chopped onion in butter, or a mixture of butter and olive oil, under soft and translucent, taking care not to let it brown.

Then place rounds of veal shank, lightly floured and trimmed (see Notes below), and brown nicely on both sides. (Some recipes call for removing the onion to prevent its browning, but I find that simply shifting it to the edge of the pot works fine.)

Next, splash the veal shanks with white wine, scraping up the sucs that will have formed at the bottom of the pot, lower the heat and cover. (Most modern recipes call for some chopped or puréed tomatoes—which I like to add—but the original recipe is in bianco.) Simmer until quite tender, generally anywhere between 1-1/2 and 2 hours or more, depending on the age and quality of the veal. Add wine or water from time to time if necessary to prevent the pot from drying out, although some veal actually gives off quite a bit of liquid as it braises. At the end of cooking, the juices in the pan should be fairly abundant but thick.

Serve on a bed of risotto alla milanese, topped with gremolata—a mixture of parsley, garlic, lemon zest finely chopped together (a food processor comes in handy here) and mixed with salt and pepper—then nap each shank with the pan juices. You can, if you prefer, mix the gremolata into the sauce at the last minute before pouring over your veal shanks.