Tafelspitzsulz mit Vogerlsalat (Tafelspitz aspic with lamb's lettuce)

The Tafelspitz – probably Austria’s most popular beef dish – found its way into Viennese cuisine in the 19th century. Originally it was created in the Hotel Sacher for the emperor’s officers, but even Franz Joseph II himself enjoyed the tender beef dish very much. Eventually, the Tafelspitz turned from a courtly dish into a delicacy for the middle-class. Discover the royal taste of this recipe, a version of the famous Viennese Tafelspitz!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

600 g (1,3 lb) boiled round of beef (Tafelspitz)
6 cl (0,1 pt) sherry (dry)
2 carrots
2 turnips (yellow)
1/4 celeriac
4 Tbsps chives (chopped)
600 ml (1 pt) beef stock
10 sheets of gelatin
Oil (for greasing)
ground pepper
salt
200 g (0,45 lb) field salad
Pumpkin seed pesto (or traditional pesto)
chives (for decoration)

For the marinade:

4 Tbsps corn oil
3 Tbsps apple vinegar
2 Tbsps beef stock
pinch of salt

Preparation:

Boil the stock in 200 ml water. Add the carrots, turnip and celeriac and cook until soft. Remove from the soup and allow to cool, then cut into strips about 3mm thick.
Soak the gelatin in cold water, drain and add to the soup. Season the soup with sherry, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Grease the tray with oil. Line the base with plastic wrap, smoothing it out with kitchen paper. Cut the boiled beef into slices about 2 mm thick (bread-cutting machine recommended). Dip each slice into the warm soup and line the tray with the meat, letting it hang about 6 cm over the edge of the tray. Add a little soup, and sprinkle chives over the meat. Place the vegetable strips lengthways over the meat and place more meat on top. Repeat three times. Pour in the rest of the soup, and fold in the overlapping pieces of meat. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it down over the mass, and refrigerate for 3 hours. Mix all the marinade ingredients with a whisk and use it to marinate the salad. Once the aspic is set, turn it upside down on a tray, and remove the plastic wrap. Cut the aspic into slices. Serve on cooled plates and decorate with the marinated salad. Dribble a few drops of pesto over the aspic, and sprinkle with chives.