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Münsterland Veal Ragout

Originally considered a "poor man's meal", traditionally Toettchen was made from a calf's head and innards such as lung and heart, cooked with onions and vinegar into a sweet and sour ragout. These days, veal and veal tongue are mainly used, and the dish appears on restaurant menus.

Ingredients

  • veal shoulder or breast
  • 1 onion halved
  • 1 leek
  • 2 sprigs parsley
  • 1/4 celery root (celeriac)
  • 2 bay leaves 2 cloves
  • 2 cloves
  • 3 allspice
  • 8-10 white peppercorns
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 tbsp butter or lard
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp medium hot mustard
  • ½ tsp chervil or thyme leaves
  • juice of 1/2 lemon or white wine
  • 1-2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • sugar
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • salt & pepper freshly ground

Instructions

  • Put the meat with the washed and cleaned soup greens, the bay leaves, the halved onion studded with cloves, the crushed allspice, the peppercorns and a little salt in 1 ¼ liters of salted water, bring to the boil and cover for about 1.5 hours on a medium-high heat cook heat. Remove from the broth, allow to cool slightly, remove any fat and tendons and cut into small cubes. Pour the broth through a fine sieve.
  • Peel and finely chop the onion, then fry in the butter/lard until golden. Dust the flour over it, let it brown slightly and deglaze with a little broth. Pour in enough of the broth to create a well-bound sauce. Let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes, then season with the lemon juice or vinegar, a little sugar and the mustard mixed in three tablespoons of broth to make it spicy and slightly sour. Add the meat cubes to the sauce and heat for a few minutes. Add chervil or thyme leaves and leave to stand briefly. Before serving, drizzle Worcestershire sauce over the ragout.
  • In Münster only fresh, strong farmhouse bread, mixed salad and a tasty beer would be served as side dishes. If you like, boiled new potatoes, spaetzle noodles would do.
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Munster
Keyword: Calf's Head, Stew, Sweet and Sour, Veal