Veal shank with celery puree and ratatouille

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 2 veal knuckles, boned by the butcher
• 3 carrots
• 3 onions
• 2 stalk(s) Celery
• 10 garlic cloves
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• ½ bunch thyme
• ½ handful of bay leaves
• 1 handful of marjoram
• 2 bunches of basil
• Salt (Fleur de Sel)
• Pepper, black from the mill
• Sugar
• olive oil
• 400 ml red wine
• 1 liter veal stock
• 2 liters of vegetable broth
• potato flour
• 1 m.-large celeriac
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 150 ml cream
• Salt (Fleur de Sel)
• Pepper, black from the mill
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 zucchini
• 1 small eggplant(s)
• 2 red bell peppers
• 5 tomatoes
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 bunch of basil
• ½ bunch thyme
• 3 stalks of sage
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 3 garlic cloves
• 100 ml olive oil
• Salt (Fleur de Sel)
• Pepper, black from the mill
• olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 2 hours

very tasty main course, ideal for entertaining guests, can be prepared

Roughly dice the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic. Roughly tear the herbs with your hands. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit). Season the veal shanks with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large roasting pan and sear the veal shanks well on all sides. Then remove them from the pan. Brown the diced vegetables in the remaining oil and season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Deglaze with red wine and allow it to reduce completely. Return the veal shanks to the roasting pan on top of the vegetables and place them in the oven at 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes (with the lid open). Then turn the meat over and pour in the veal stock and vegetable broth. Place it back in the oven at 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit) for another hour, this time with the lid closed. Then reduce the temperature to 120 degrees Celsius (248 degrees Fahrenheit) and leave the lid slightly ajar. The remaining cooking time is 2 hours. The meat can be prepared in this way and then warmed in the broth. When slicing, make sure to cut against the grain. Strain some of the stock and thicken it with potato starch (dissolved in cold water). Since this dish produces a lot of stock, I strain it later, reheat it, and then pour it into boiled twist-off jars. I then use it as stock as usual. Celery puree: Peel and roughly dice the celery. Mix the diced vegetables with salt and sugar, cover, and let stand for about 60 minutes. Then briefly pour cold water over it, strain, and drain. Cook the diced celery with the cream over low heat until soft. Puree the celery very finely with a hand blender. Stir in the butter, adding a little more cream if the consistency is too thick. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. The celery puree can be prepared and reheated. Ratatouille: Cut the zucchini and eggplant into small cubes. Cut the seeds out of the bell peppers and dice them finely. Quarter the tomatoes and remove the cores, then dice them finely. Make sure all the diced vegetables are roughly the same size. Pick the herbs from the stems and chop finely. Peel the garlic cloves, roughly chop them, and puree them in olive oil with salt. This can be done a few hours in advance. Heat olive oil in a large pan and fry the diced vegetables until cooked through. The vegetables should remain firm to the bite. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the herbs and let them cook. Finally, flavor with the garlic oil. To serve: Arrange the ratatouille in an appetizer ring. Cut a piece of the puree. Slice the meat against the grain and halve the slice if desired. Pour on some of the thickened sauce. Serve the remaining sauce in a sauceboat. For this dish, it is recommended to preheat the plates.