Braised Veal Cheeks

Summary

Ingredients

• 8 veal cheeks
• Pepper from the grinder
• sea-salt
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 200 g onion (s)
• 100 g carrot (s)
• 100 g celeriac
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 400 ml red wine, dry
• 500 ml veal stock or beef stock
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar beet syrup
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 juniper berries
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Instructions

1. Pat the 8 veal cheeks dry and season with salt and pepper from the grinder.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large roasting pan over medium-high heat.
3. Sear the veal cheeks until golden brown on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
4. Cut the onions, carrots, and celeriac into large cubes.
5. In the same pan over medium-high heat, roast the vegetable cubes with 1 tablespoon tomato paste, stirring occasionally, for about 3-5 minutes.
6. Deglaze the pan with 400 ml dry red wine and 1 tablespoon sugar beet syrup, scraping up browned bits. Boil until reduced by about half, roughly 5-8 minutes.
7. Wash and dry 3 sprigs thyme and 3 sprigs rosemary. Add them to the pan along with 1 bay leaf and 8 juniper berries.
8. Pour in 500 ml veal or beef stock. Return the seared veal cheeks to the pan.
9. Cover and braise in the oven at 160°C / 320°F (convection, on the 2nd or 3rd rack from the bottom) for 2 to 2.5 hours. Every 30 minutes, baste the cheeks with some of the braising liquid.
10. Transfer the veal cheeks to a warm plate. Pour the braising liquid through a sieve into a saucepan, pressing the vegetables gently to extract liquid.
11. Over medium-high heat, reduce the sauce by about half, roughly 10-15 minutes.
12. Season to taste with salt and pepper from the grinder. Stir in 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Do not boil after adding mustard.
13. For best flavor, prepare this dish up to 1 day ahead; cool completely and refrigerate. The veal cheeks will rest and absorb more sauce flavor. They are typically very tender after 2.5 hours of braising.