Veal cheeks in red wine and port sauce

Ingredients

• 1 kg of veal shanks
• 3 carrots
• 2 onions
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 500 ml of red wine
• One glass of port wine
• olive oil
• salt
• ground black pepper

Heat a large saucepan and, once it’s hot, brown the veal cheeks with a drizzle of oil. Season with salt and pepper. While you’re doing that, peel, wash, and chop all the vegetables into small pieces.

Once the cheeks are nicely browned, add the vegetables to the casserole dish and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes.

Pour the port and red wine, then let it simmer for another half hour. Add water to cover the cheeks, then cook for about 50 minutes over low heat.

Let the mixture cool slightly, then transfer the cheeks to another saucepan. Blend the sauce, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve, and pour it into the saucepan with the cheeks. Simmer for about 10 minutes: it’s ready.

To cut the cheeks into slices, allow the meat to cool down, as it would become crumbly if cut while still warm.