Guancia di Vitello al...Guancia di Vitello al Barolo con Soffice di Topinambur e Gremolada al Tartufo

Spoon-tender Barolo-braised veal cheeks served over a silky sunchoke purée, finished with a vibrant, aromatic black truffle and Piedmont hazelnut gremolata.

Ingredients

Cooking Instructions

1. 01

   Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Season the veal cheeks generously with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

2. 02

   In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the veal cheeks until a deep, dark crust forms on all sides (about 4 minutes per side). Remove the cheeks and set aside.

3. 03

   In the same pot, lower the heat to medium. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Sauté for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are caramelized and soft.

4. 04

   Pour in the Barolo wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all the caramelized bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce the wine by half.

5. 05

   Return the veal cheeks to the pot. Add the veal stock, rosemary, and thyme. The liquid should almost cover the cheeks. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the preheated oven for 3 hours, or until the meat is completely spoon-tender.

6. 06

   While the meat braises, make the sunchoke purée. Place the sliced sunchokes in a saucepan, cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes until very tender. Drain thoroughly.

7. 07

   Transfer the warm sunchokes to a high-powered blender. Add the heavy cream and 50g of the cold butter. Blend on high until completely smooth and velvety. Season to taste with salt and white pepper, then pass through a fine-mesh chinois. Keep warm.

8. 08

   Prepare the truffle gremolata: In a small bowl, combine the minced parsley, finely chopped hazelnuts, lemon zest, and minced black truffle. Set aside.

9. 09

   Once the veal cheeks are cooked, carefully remove them from the braising liquid and cover with foil to keep warm. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, discarding the solids. Simmer over medium heat until it reduces to a glossy, thick glaze. Whisk in the remaining 50g of cold butter to emulsify.

10. 10

    To serve, spoon a generous pool of sunchoke purée onto the center of warm plates. Place a veal cheek on top, coat generously with the reduced Barolo glaze, and garnish elegantly with the truffle hazelnut gremolata.