Veal Tafelspitz with Bread Dumplings and Dill Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 onions
• 200 g carrots
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp peppercorns
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 kg Tafelspitz
• 5 rolls (from the day before)
• 200 ml milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 40 g Butter
• Salt
• 10 g butter (for the kitchen towel)
• 1 bunch dill
• 1.5 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 100 ml milk
• pepper (ground)
• nutmeg

Instructions

1. 1.

   Peel the onions, halve them and brown the cut sides in a large pot without fat; remove them again.

2. 2.

   Clean, peel and slice the carrots. Add them with the onions and spices to the pot.

3. 3.

   Wash the meat, add it and pour 2–3 liters of cold water over it. Bring to a slow simmer uncovered, skim off foam as it forms, cover and cook on very low heat for 2–2.5 hours.

4. 4.

   Meanwhile, grate the crust from the rolls and cut them first into slices then cubes. Place in a bowl and pour hot milk over them. Separate the eggs. Cream together butter, yolks and salt. Mix everything together and let rest for 10 minutes.

5. 5.

   Boil a large kitchen towel in water and wring it out. Bring about three‑quarters of a pot of water to boil, add two tablespoons of salt. Whisk egg whites until stiff and fold them into the bread mixture. Brush the towel with liquid butter. Shape the dough into a 6–7 cm thick roll, place the towel in the middle and loosely beat it over the dumpling roll from both sides (the dough will expand while cooking). Tie the ends together with a string. Attach the towel to a ladle handle with a string (open side up) and hang it in the boiling water. Let the dumplings cook for about 40 minutes in simmering water.

6. 6.

   After cooking, remove the Tafelspitz, wrap it in foil, strain the broth through a sieve and measure about 600 ml.

7. 7.

   Wash, dry and finely chop the dill. Melt butter in a pot, sprinkle flour, let it brown slightly then deglaze with the broth. Whisk to avoid lumps. Add cream, stir in dill and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg; simmer for 5–8 minutes over medium heat.

8. 8.

   Remove the dumplings from the towel, slice them. Slice the Tafelspitz as well and serve on a plate together with the dumplings and dill sauce.