Irresistible Italian Main Dishes

1. Osso Buco with Red Wine, Created in Milan, this Italian classic features veal shanks braised in red wine and is typically served with risotto alla Milanese. In order to stick to the custom of the dish's namesake, offer guests small spoons to scoop and enjoy the fatty marrow from the bones. The basis of ossobuco are veal shanks. The shanks are prepared with, among other things, carrots, onions and celery, usually in a tomato sauce. In the traditional ossobuco alla Milanese preparation no tomatoes are used. The recipes with tomato sauce can not really be called 'alla Milanese'. This classic veal from northern Italy is the world's best make-ahead dish—it tastes amazing on the second day. Have you eaten Osso Buco?

2. Bolognese Meat Sauce, Marvella Hazan's version of this classic long-simmered ragù calls for richly marbled ground beef chuck. Salt the meat as it sautés to extract its juices, then simmer it in milk to protect it from the acidic bite of the tomatoes and wine that get added to the pot next. Serve this sauce over fettuccine or your pasta of choice. Have you eaten Pasta with Bolognese Sauce?

3. Cioppino (Seafood Stew) Bobby Flay's version of this tomato-based Italian American stew includes a range of shellfish like Dungeness crab, squid, and mussels cooked with shallot, garlic, herbs, and a wine-spiked blend of clam juice and chicken stock. It's customary to serve the stew with buttered sourdough toast, but it's also tasty over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes. Have you eaten Cioppino?