Veal shank confit with dark beer sauce & napkin dumplings

Ingredients (for approx. 4-6 portions)

For the veal shank:

• 1 veal shank (please buy from your trusted butcher)
• 1 bulb of garlic (the more, the better!)
• Bay leaf, sage, lovage, rosemary
• Mustard seeds (yellow & brown), pepper, caraway, tarragon, fenugreek
• High-quality oil (e.g. sunflower oil or rapeseed oil - use generously)

For the dark beer sauce:

• Sections of veal shank
• 2 pretzels & some stale bread (for binding & toasted flavors)
• Red wine, dark wheat beer & malt beer (approx. 100 ml each, depending on taste)
• 2 onions, 2 carrots, 1/2 leek, 1 piece of celery, 4-5 mushrooms
• Bay leaf, caraway seeds, mustard seeds

For the napkin dumplings:

• 300 g dumpling bread
• 4 eggs
• 250 ml milk
• 80 g butter
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp flour
• Parsley, salt

For the vegetable garnish:

• Broccoli
• Mushrooms
• Butter, lemon juice, salt & pepper

Preparation

Confit the veal shank:

1. Trim the veal shank and remove the excess fat and tendons.
2. Roast the spices, grind them in a mortar and rub the knuckle thoroughly with them (without salt!).
3. Place in a large pot with the herbs, cover with oil and cover.
4. Confit in the oven at 80 °C for at least 12 hours (preferably up to 25 hours).
5. Then remove, cut into slices, season with coarse sea salt and serve.

Prepare the dark beer sauce:

1. Sear the knuckle sections for 20 minutes.
2. Chop the vegetables, add and fry.
3. Deglaze with red wine, wheat beer and malt beer, boil down several times.
4. Add spices, stale bread & pretzels, simmer for 3 hours.
5. Pass through a coarse sieve, then strain finely, reduce if necessary.

Napkin dumplings:

1. Sauté the onion in butter until translucent, deglaze with milk and pour over the dumpling bread.
2. Add the eggs, parsley and flour, mix and leave to stand.
3. Spread on cling film, shape into rolls and leave to stand in boiling water for 30 minutes.
4. Cut into slices and optionally fry in clarified butter.

Vegetable side dish:

1. Steam the broccoli until the water has evaporated, toss with butter.
2. Sauté the mushrooms in butter, season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Conclusion:

This dish is a feast for special occasions. With a little patience, you can conjure up a tender veal shank, hearty sauce and fluffy dumplings - a treat for the palate!