Chügelipastete from Lucerne

Swiss Cantons Series, Episode 13

Lucerne's festive dish: creamy veal, meatballs and mushrooms in crispy puff pastry. The original uses one giant pastry case. This is the weeknight version with small vol-au-vents (in Swiss German we call them Pastetli).

• Serves 4
• 40 minutes

One of 27

Lucerne is the place I send every tourist: the old town, the wooden bridge, the lake and the Alps behind it. This dish fits the city. It's one of the 27 recipes in my first cookbook, Swiss Cantons A to Z, one dish for every canton.

Crispy or soggy? I like it when it sits for a few minutes and the pastry soaks up a little sauce.

The recipe

Ingredients

• 8 ready-made vol-au-vent shells
• 250 g veal strips
• 250 g veal sausage meatballs (Brätkügeli)
• 300 g mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp sultanas
• 2 heaped tbsp flour
• 100 ml white wine
• 300 ml stock
• 200 ml cream
• Clarified butter and butter
• Salt and pepper

How to make it

1. Sear the veal briefly in hot clarified butter and set it aside.
2. Heat the vol-au-vent shells according to the packet.
3. Cook the onion and bay leaves in butter. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft.
4. Deglaze with the white wine and let it reduce, then stir in the flour. Add the stock, bring to the boil, and stir in the cream.
5. Add the meatballs, the sultanas and the veal and heat through. Season with salt and pepper and adjust the thickness if needed.
6. Fill the shells, put the lids on and serve right away.

Sultanas are not optional in Lucerne. The little hit of sweetness is what makes it a Chügelipastete.

This recipe is from my cookbook. Swiss Cantons A to Z has one dish for every canton, 27 recipes with the story behind each one.