Dinner Recipe Ideas the Veal Head

The Calf's Head (Veal Head) is a traditional dish that is served in Europe (France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy). Some restaurants in France cook it whole with the bone and cut it to portions in front of the customer. Serving it that way is in art not only the cooking but the carving too. However it is better not to present it in that way to sensitive souls. This dish also counts among typical Swiss recipes. This type of authentic Swiss food is mostly found in the Jura region.

Ingredients:

• Calf's head: 1 piece

• Tongue: 1 piece

WHITE:

• 120g flour (20g or 1 tablespoon per liter)

• 10cl of white vinegar or lemon juice (1 tablespoon per liter)

• 20cl of cold water

• 1 onion sticked with 2 cloves

• 4 carrots (each carrot split in 4)

• 2 leeks (the white parts only) slit crosswise

• 1 bouquet garni (1 thyme branch, 1 laurel leaf, 1 small branch of celery, 6 branches of parsley)

• 2-3 peeled garlic cloves

• 1 hand full of sea salt

• 24 peppercorns

• 2 tablespoons of oil

Preparation:

First you need a calf's head, buy it from your butcher. You can buy it with or without the bone depending on your preferences.

STEP 1: BLANCH

Calf's head: It is better to blanch it quickly in order to get rid of all traces of impurity, especially as it also makes the flesh firmer. To do this, immerse the head in a pot of warm water if boneless roll it on itself (see pic1), bring the water to light simmering for about 20mn, skim regularly. Then drain and refresh under cold water. This way, it will not produce too much foam during the cooking which will preserve its white color even more. Drain it well and dry it by dabbing with an absorbent cloth. Then rub its leather with a lemon cut into quarters so it remains white when cooked.

Tongue: In order to ease the trimming process we are going to poach the tongue 10-15mn in a pot of boiling water, when done drain and refresh it with cold water. The rough skin (white part) will be much easier to remove.

STEP 1: Prepare the "WHITE"

Like all foods that tend to darken when cooked, in order to stay white the calf's head is cooked in a "WHITE", which is a court bouillon (broth) with flour.

Boil about 6 liters of water in a pot high and wide enough to receive the head (thick aluminum is the most suitable material).

Mix 120g flour (20g or 1 tablespoon per liter) with 10cl of white vinegar or lemon juice (1 tablespoon per liter) and 20cl of cold water, without making lumps. Then pour it in the boiling water through a strainer, and beat vigorously for 5 good minutes, so that the flour remains suspended in the liquid instead of falling at the bottom of pot.

Add all the traditional spices of a good broth: 1 onion sticked with 2 cloves, 4 carrots (each carrot split in 4), 2 leeks (the white parts only) slit crosswise, bouquet garni (1 sprig of thyme, 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of celery, 6 parsley branches with their tails), 2-3 peeled cloves of garlic (optional), and a good handful of sea salt and two dozen peppercorns and 2 tablespoons of oil.

(Optional) Aromatization: According to the recipe or the accompanying sauce planned, the cooking broth can be flavored with a bottle of dry white wine, or even vermouth, white and dry. In one case as in the other, the addition must be done before introducing the head. Now your WHITE is ready.

Warning: Use a container deep and wide enough to accommodate not only the head but also because when boiling, the WHITE rises and overflows like milk!

STEP 2: Cooking in the WHITE

The Veal Head: Bring the white to slightly simmer (It shouldn't boil), put the calf's head in the pot, if boneless wrap it in a cloth by tying the 4 corners together. You can cover the pot with a cloth rather than a cover to avoid the overflowing! A head with the bone's cooking time can take up to 3h30 minutes while a boneless Veal Head takes 2h00 to 2h30. Best is to test the cooking with a fork, it should enter easily. The Subcutaneous meat should be soft, but the skin must remain gelatinous, and especially not become soft as a flaccid calf's head is not beautiful to see, neither good to eat! The Veal Head must always be covered with water, if need be add boiling water during the cooking.

The Tongue: Put the tongue in the WHITE with the Veal Head for 2h00-2h30 (approximately 1h00 for 500g). Take the tongue out and plunge it in a basin of very cold water. Trim the tongue by relieving it of its rough skin and fatty parts of the horn.

STEP 3: Serving and preserving

Serving the boneless Head: Once cooked you can cut it into slices which is the most common way to serve it (see below). Another way is to unfold the head and portion it into cubes, do the same with the tongue, which allows to portion the quantity of tongue and head evenly between the dishes. It is imperative to serve calf's head on hot plates so that it does not freeze and remains gelatinous. For the same reason, it is recommended to keep it warm for a possible second service.

Serving the head on the bone: You can carve it into portions in front of your guests if you fell confident enough, or you can portion it in your kitchen. It is imperative to serve calf's head on hot plates so that it does not freeze and remains gelatinous. For the same reason, it is recommended to keep it warm for a possible second service.

Side Dish: Serve with 3 small potatoes (peeled), a half hard boiled egg, and 1 pickle cut into slices, per person. Heat them up in the same pot you are using to heat up the portions of veal head.

Sauces: Tastes good with Gribiche Sauce or Tartar Sauce served aside

How to preserve it: The best way is to cut the tongue and the head into cubes, and put them in bags separate the tongue and head evenly between the bags (I advise you put 1 to 2 portions per bag). fill each bag with the broth and put in the fridge. The broth will harden in the way of a gelatin. All you need to do when you want to eat is open a bag pour it in a small pot add Serve with 3 small potatoes (peeled), a half hardboiled egg, and 1 pickle cut into slices, per portion and heat it up.

If you live in Geneva this typical dish can be eaten at L'Auberge Communale de Meyrin (address: Avenue de Vaudagne 13bis, 1217 Meyrin)