Stuffed Calf's Head (tête de veau farcie)

About the dish

Calf's head was a prized festive dish in older Norwegian and French cuisine. Here Erken gives the classic "tête de veau farcie," in which the boned head meat is rolled with ham, egg, and parsley and pressed into a cold roll that is cut into slices.

How to make it

1. 1

   Clean the head

   Scald the calf's head and split it. Take out the tongue and brain and use them for their own dishes.

2. 2

   Soaking

   Wash the head in several changes of water and then place it in salted water for 12 hours. Change the water several times.

3. 3

   Blanching

   Place the head in a pot with a heaped tablespoon of salt, pour over cold water, and heat to the boiling point. Take the head out and wash it well over with cold water.

4. 4

   Cooking

   Return the head to the pot, pour over cold water, bring to a boil, and skim well. Add the cleaned root vegetables, the herb bunch, peppercorns, pepper, and salt, and let it simmer 1½–2 hours, until the bones can easily be removed.

5. 5

   Boning and filling

   Remove all the bones. Lay the meat out flat on a board, sprinkle over a little pepper and salt, lay on thin strips of the ham and slices of the hard-boiled eggs, and sprinkle over the finely chopped parsley.

6. 6

   Rolling

   Roll the meat up tightly, wrap it in a meat cloth (cotton cloth), and tie it up well.

7. 7

   Finishing simmer

   Place the roll in the boiling stock and let it simmer gently for 1½–2 hours.

8. 8

   Pressing

   When the meat is well cooled, tie the cloth more tightly and place the roll under a press until it is completely cold. Cut into slices to serve.