Roasted Veal Head

Adapted by StarChefs.com
September 2013
Yield: 3 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Tongue
2 quarts water
½ cup sugar
½ cup kosher salt
1 calf tongue
1 Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
olive oil
black pepper
salt
Ribolitta
½ pound dried cannellini beans
¼ cup olive oil
¼ pound large diced pancetta
2 yellow onions, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
one 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes in purée, coarsely chopped
4 cups stemmed, coarsely chopped savoy cabbage
4 cups stemmed, coarsely chopped kale
½ cup coarsely chopped basil leaves
6 cups chicken stock
4 cups coarsely chopped rustic Italian bread
kosher salt
Veal Head
1 whole calf's head
olive oil
salt
black pepper
Brain Purée
2 cups mascarpone
¼ cup Champagne vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
salt
To Assemble and Serve
extra virgin olive oil
fleur de sel
½ cup grated Parmesan

METHOD:

To Assemble and Serve:
Extra virgin olive oil
Fleur de sel
½ cup grated Parmesan

METHOD
For the Tongue:
In a large container, make a brine with water, sugar, and salt. Add tongue to brine, seal, and cure 5 days in refrigerator. Drain tongue and transfer to small pot with onion, carrot, and celery. Cover with water and bring to boil. Lower heat, secure lid, and braise 4 hours. Cool completely in braising liquid. Prepare and heat grill. Drain tongue, coat with olive oil, and rub with salt and pepper. Grill until charred on both side; keep warm.

For the Ribolitta:
In a large bowl, cover beans with cold water by 1-inch. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and soak beans overnight in refrigerator. Drain beans and transfer to large pot with 8 cups water. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and simmer 15 minutes, until beans are tender. Set aside to cool in liquid. In a large stockpot over medium heat, add oil followed by pancetta and onions. Cook until onions are translucent. Add carrots, celery, garlic, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon salt. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes in purée, cabbage, kale, and basil and stir occasionally. Drain beans; reserve cooking liquid. Transfer half the beans to food processor and purée, adding cooking liquid as necessary. Add bean purée and remaining beans to pot. Pour reaming cooking liquid into an 8-cup measure; top off with chicken stock and add to pot. Bring soup to boil, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Add bread and simmer until reduced to consistency of porridge.

For the Veal Head:
Heat CVap to 200°F. Coat head in oil and season heavily with salt and pepper. Wrap the head in 3 layers of plastic wrap and place on a sheet tray. Transfer tray to CVap and cook 12 hours. Heat convection oven to 450°F. Remove head from wrap and roast in convection oven 15 minutes, until deeply browned. Rest head 30 minutes. Prepare and heat plancha. With a boning knife, gently remove cheeks. Remove jaw by giving it a light tug. Pick meat from the jaw and press into a patty; discard jaw bone. Sear the patty and cheeks on the plancha until golden brown and crisp; keep warm. Remove the brain by using the heel of a knife to crack open the skull. (Be sure to look for the seam that runs down the middle of the skull. Sometimes the seam comes apart on its own during cooking.) Set aside brain for purée preparation. Set aside remainder of head for tableside presentation.

For the Brain Purée:
In a blender, purée reserved brain with mascarpone, vinegar, and oil until perfectly smooth. Season with salt.   

To Assemble and Serve:
Spoon Brain Purée across the bottom of a large serving platter. Slice Tongue thinly and fan it across the brain. Spoon Ribolitta onto the right side of the plate, leaving room to alternate the crispy jaw meat with the veal cheeks on the left side of the plate. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel and Parmesan.