Suggested Varietal Pairing
Zinfandel
The delicious chocolate and spice notes of the Turning Leaf Zinfandel pair beautifully with the melt-in-the-mouth flavours of the braised veal and the warming butternut squash and sweet potato.
This recipe serves four people.
Ingredients
1.2 kilos of veal cheeks cut into 4cm x 4cm squares
(Veal breast is a good alternative if you cannot get veal cheeks)
Flour
Extra virgin olive oil
1 leek
1 carrot
1 onion
Tomato paste
1 sprig of rosemary
2 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
150ml Turning Leaf Zinfandel
1 litre chicken stock
Butter
250g Butternut squash
250g sweet potato
50ml double cream
200g girolles mushrooms
(if not available try chanterelles or morelles)
20 parsley leaves, finely chopped
Salt
Pepper
For the Veal
Preheat the oven to 100°C. Dust the veal with a light coating. Heat up a frying pan with some olive oil and add the veal cheeks in small batches to ensure the meat caramelizes on each side. Once the meat is browned transfer it to a large braising dish. Add some more olive oil to the frying pan and stir in the vegetables with a tablespoon of tomato paste. Cook for 5 minutes then deglaze with 150ml of Turning Leaf Zinfandel. This will create a ‘flavour bridge’ between the wine and the dish. Add the vegetables to the braising dish along with the sprigs of rosemary, thyme, 2 bay leaves and 1 litre of chicken stock. Place the dish in the oven to cook for around four hours. If the meat is cooked it should almost come apart.
Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Strain the sauce into a heavy based saucepan through a fine sieve covered with a damp muslin cloth. Discard the vegetables and herbs. Place the saucepan over a medium heat and reduce to a third. Gradually whisk in 50g butter and add the meat back into the sauce.
For the Winter Vegetable Puree
Remove the skin from the butternut squash and sweet potato and cut into cubes. In a heavy based pan heat 40g butter on a low heat and add the butternut squash and sweet potato. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Put the cooked vegetables into a food processor to blitz into a puree. Stir in the double cream, adding salt and pepper to taste.
For the Girolles Mushrooms
Wash the mushrooms, dry wth a paper towel and remove the ends of the stems. Fry the mushrooms in butter for a minute. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley.
To Serve
Spoon a serving of the winter vegetable puree on to a plate. To style, run a fork through the puree in an 's' formation. Place the veal to the side of the puree and spoon some sauce over the meat. Finally place the girolles mushrooms around the plate.