Swiss-Style Cooking
This menu is very much like Zürich itself – a mix of classic and contemporary. It’s also something of a farewell to winter, since most of these dishes are rich, hearty and best enjoyed at home when it’s cold and windy outside. So, before the last bitter chills of March give way to the warm breezes of spring, prepare these traditional dishes for family and friends to toast the end of a season. Today, we share our zürcher geschnetzeltes recipe.
Zürcher Geschnetzeltes Recipe (Zürich-Style Diced Veal Stew)
This is the definitive dish of Zürich – a rich, soothing meal that’s perfect for a winter evening. It’s traditionally served with roesti (see below), which acts as a nice device for absorbing the sauce. The stew pairs especially well with a glass of Grüner Veltliner or dry Riesling, which is also incorporated into the stew.
Ingredients:
2 ½ lbs veal, sliced into thin strips
6 oz veal kidneys, sliced into thin pieces
2 cups all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup yellow onions, medium diced
2 shallots, finely diced
3 cups white button or baby bella mushrooms, sliced thick
3 tablespoons sage, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
Directions:
Pat veal and kidney strips dry and season with salt and pepper. Dip veal strips in bowl with flour and shake off excess. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and melt 3 tablespoons butter. When foam subsides, add one-third of veal, being careful not to crowd the pan. Sear each side until light golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan, reserve and continue searing the rest of the veal in same manner. Repeat flour and searing process with kidneys, allowing kidneys to cook for an additional 2 minutes per side.
When all the veal and kidneys have been seared and removed from pan, lower heat and add onions and shallots. Cook until translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove onions from pan and reserve.
Melt remaining tablespoon of butter, raise heat to medium and add mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and add sage. When mushrooms are brown and slightly caramelized, add wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape brown bits from bottom and return onions to pan. When wine is reduced by half, add veal stock. When stock is reduced by half, add cream. Lower heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add veal and kidneys to pan and cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately with roesti, or wrap and refrigerate for up to three days.
Note: if you are squeamish about using kidneys you can omit it, but the organ meat provide a more complex flavor to the sauce and overall dish.
