New Year's resolutions and a recipe from dad - Ossobuco alla Milanese (beef shins Milanese)

As a new year starts we all tend to make grand declarations of things we are going to change in our lives – “I will try one new thing a week”, “I will exercise more”, “I will quit smoking”, “I will drink less alcoholic beverages”.
I have some of my own, incapable of not wanting to think of a date as a means for a new start, a chance to be a new person, an improved one. I would like to think of this year as a year of choices; important ones that will put me on the path of the person I really want to be. I would like to think of this year as the year when I manage to change things outside but also inside. In fact, most importantly inside because if the inside is not changed the outside won’t change either.
I am also going to go jogging more often, stop smoking and drink less wine. Yes... I will...

Anyway, I welcome the new year, my personal resolutions and whatever new ones I will set my heart on  along the way with ossobuco alla Milanese to keep out the freezing cold I thought would not come this winter. 
Dad made it when I was visiting as I clamoured for him to teach me a new recipe and as I turned my nose up at his trout in asparagus cream (“Asparagus is not in season daddy!”) he spotted juicy veal shin steaks in the butcher’s counter, snapped them up and looked smug at resolving the issue so quickly. He also looked smug because he knew I'd be too polite to turn the second option down and I have had a history of not caring for this dish all that much. I do now, it was awesome. Especially when I smothered gremolata all over my face whilst "tasting it to make sure it was good enough to serve". Someone had to do it.

I give you the recipe as dad emailed it to me... I give up trying to figure out the amounts so go with what feels right. Embrace the freedom! I've only added a couple of extra indications in Italics as, you know, I'm still *that* control freak and since this is not a dish that photographs particularly well I had to control something else.

Beef shin Milanese Recipe
Serves 4

4 beef shin steaks cut thick
Onion, garlic, celery and carrot mirepoix
Salt and pepper
Flour
Grated nutmeg
Passata
Chopped tomatoes
Beef stock
Red wine
Butter
Bay leaf
Finely chopped parsley
Zest of 1 lemon

Season the beef shin steaks with salt, pepper and nutmeg and dust with the flour.

Brown the steaks in butter and set aside.

Put the mirepoix and the bay leaf in the same butter, add the wine and let it evaporate slightly.

Put the beef shin back in, cover with the passata and chopped tomatoes and braise on a low heat for a good 4 hours or until the meat is nice and tender.

Add beef stock if necessary (the sauce has to be thick but abundant).

When ready add the lemon zest and the parsley

Serve with saffron risotto:

Carnaroli rice

Onion

White wine

Butter

Salt and pepper

Saffron

Beef stock

Sauté the onion finely chopped in the butter and season.

Sauté the rice in the onion and butter.

Add white wine and let it evaporate: the rice mix must remain dry.

Cover with the stock.

Dissolve 1-2 saffron envelopes in the pan.

Bring to a boil, turn the heating to low and let the risotto cook with the lid on: the risotto needs to be quite dry. If you'd rather you can add the stock little by little but without mixing the rice too often.

*As mentioned in the comments - Bone marrow is traditionally used in the risotto instead of butter. However, for ease butter is a perfectly good replacement :)