Beuschel- Be A Man.

Beuschel is a traditional Viennese stew with Innards. Veal Lung & heart served in a warm brown gravy with semmelknödels i.e Bread Dumplings. This is quite a big recipe and the veal insides take a little long to get cooked & tender, but a good stew always takes time.

Veal Lung:   1/2 a lung
Veal Heart: 1/2 heart, 150g approx.

Carrots:   100g
Parsnips: 100g
Celery:     100g
Onions, chopped:   50g
Salt: to taste
Peppercorns: 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf: 1
Thyme: 1 tsp
White Wine: 60ml
Butter:  60 gm
Flour: 60g
Capers: 1 tbsp
Anchovy: 1 fillet
Chopped onion: 2 tbsp
Garlic, chopped: 1 clove
Lemon Zest: 1/2 tsp
Parsley, chopped: 2 tbsp
Salt: to taste
Marjoram: 1/2 tsp
Vinegar: 2 tbsp
Mustard paste: 1 tbsp

When you buy the heart and lungs, make sure your butcher has cleaned them properly. Wash them in water and place them in a big pot. Cover the innards with water and add the chopped root vegetables, onion, salt, peppercorns, bay leaf and thyme. Put the pot over the heat and bring to a boil, reduce the flame and simmer.

When the lung and Heart is tender and cooked, remove them from the pot and let them cool down. Cut them into strips, if they seem too tough to cut into, cook them a little more. Take the cut strips and marinate it in the white wine. Meanwhile strain out the liquid from the pot and keep the stock aside. Discard the solid vegetable and spice remains.

Let the innards marinate for more than an hour, and let the stock cool. In a big saucepan, over a moderate heat, melt the butter and add the flour to it, stir. Add the capers, anchovy, onion, garlic, zest & salt. Stir till golden brown, do not let the flour burn. While stirring rapidly, add the vinegar and then gradually pour in the cooled stock. Keep on stirring to avoid any lumping. Season with the mustard, salt, marjoram and some lemon juice to taste. Add in the heart and lung strips and simmer till the sauce is thick. Garnish with parsley before serving.

You may serve the stew with bread or better with the bread dumplings. To make the semmelknödel, roast around 3 cups of fresh or stale bread, cut into cubes, in butter. Add half a chopped onion and some parsley and roast them with the bread. Mix 50 ml of milk with an egg and a pinch of salt. Mix in the roasted ingredients with the milk mixture. Add enough flour to bind it (30g) and make into dumplings to fit your palm. Slide the balls into simmering hot water and cook for about 3-4 minutes.
Place the dumplings over the stew and serve. This is a very tough dish to make. Beuschel is a very filling stew, especially with the dumplings, and makes a very odd meal. If you find other stews too delicate and sissy, this is the one you should cook. It takes stews to a whole other level.