Veal cheeks braised in kombu

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 4 veal cheeks, approx. 350 g each
• 10 g Kombu algae in leaf form
• 500 g soup vegetables
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 tbsp mustard, mild
• salt and pepper
• Paprika powder
• Oil for frying
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 juniper berries
• some red wine

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 40 minutes

tender meat in a seaweed coating

Soak the seaweed in cold water for just 10 minutes before cooking. Discard the soaking water and set aside 8 larger pieces for wrapping the cheeks. Dry the already small pieces thoroughly and chop them further for the sauce. Cut the soup vegetables into walnut-sized pieces. Season the meat pieces, brush them with mustard, and wrap each one with a kombu leaf. Secure the leaf with a toothpick. If there aren’t enough large pieces, several smaller pieces can be secured with several toothpicks. Brown the kombu pieces and the soup vegetables in a casserole dish. Remove the vegetables from the dish and add the packages. Brown on both sides. Briefly roast the tomato paste, deglaze with red wine, and add another cup of water. Add the bay leaves and juniper berries. Add the vegetables back to the dish and simmer with the meat. After about an hour, check the firmness of the meat with a meat fork. If the cheek slides easily off the fork, it’s ready to be removed from the pot. Serve with noodles, spaetzle, or dumplings.