The tender cuts from calves paired with the melted Gorgonzola cheese offer the taste of meat without being too strong on the palate as red meat can tend to be.
Paired with baby potatoes and spinach, the meal is as filling as a steak dish.
A mouthful of Chef Marius Ackermann’s veal escalope will have you trying to figure out whether you are eating red meat or white meat.
The tender cuts from calves paired with the melted Gorgonzola cheese offer the taste of meat without being too strong on the palate as red meat can tend to be.
Paired with baby potatoes and spinach, the meal is as filling as a steak dish.
“Veal is usually milk-fed for 16 to 20 weeks hence the light meaty flavour, almost like white meat. As soon as it starts on grains, it will reflect in the taste,” explained Marius, the executive chef at Villa Rosa Kempinski.
The milk diet is what differentiates the flavour of the veal and beef, which is usually from grass-fed cows which are much older.
“We get our veal from a farm outside Nairobi at around 180 days which is about 20 weeks milk-fed,” he says.
Veal became a part of many European menus due to the fact that cheese farms did not have enough milk for calves and cheese. According to Chef Marius, the schnitzel was originally veal even though it has gained popularity as chicken schnitzel.
Not a staple
“This is good for people who like meat but do not like the strong flavour of meat or the red juices that you would get from regular steak are not in veal,” says Chef Marius.
The second preparation of tagliatelle which is a creamy veal ragout, green asparagus and truffle.
This dish needs to be served hot. The tender pieces of veal seem to melt in your mouth and hold up to the heavy pasta and creamy sauce.
In Kenya, veal is not a staple in most restaurants and homes, therefore the supply has been a challenge for the chef.
Final dish
The veal which currently comes from a single supplier, goes through about two weeks of ageing just to intensify the flavour just as one would age regular beef.
Other parts like liver have a shorter lifespan and therefore are consumed between two to three days.
The final dish on the veal special menu is the risotto which contains veal braised for 12 hours until tender with vegetables and wine with herbs and mushrooms.
“We get the entire veal meaning that we use up all the parts,” says Chef Marius.
This allows for the menu to have three options of cold appetisers, soups and hot appetisers as well as a main course.
