Zürcher Geschnetzeltes

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Zurich's most famous dish: sliced veal in a creamy white wine and mushroom sauce. At a restaurant in Zurich this plate costs about 40 francs. At home it takes 20 minutes.

• Serves 4
• 20 minutes

Two things you must get right

Sear the meat hot and fast, then take it out. That's what builds the base for the sauce. And the meat only goes back in at the very end, just to warm through. Letting it simmer the whole time is the mistake most people make, and it's why so much Geschnetzeltes is dry.

Traditionally this is made with veal. If you want to keep it cheaper, pork fillet works well.

The recipe

Ingredients

• 600 g veal, thinly sliced (or pork fillet)
• 2 onions
• 400 g mushrooms
• 1 bunch parsley, about 30 g
• 200 ml white wine
• 200 ml stock
• 400 ml half cream
• 2 tbsp flour
• Butter for frying
• Salt and pepper

How to make it

1. Finely chop the onions and slice the mushrooms thinly.
2. Sear the meat in butter over high heat for about 2 minutes per batch, in portions so the pan stays hot. Take it out and set it aside.
3. In the same pan, cook the onions until golden. Deglaze with the white wine and let it reduce a little.
4. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes.
5. Pour in the stock and the cream, then stir in the flour to thicken the sauce lightly. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Return the meat to the pan only to warm it through, about 1 minute. Season with salt, pepper and the chopped parsley.

The side is rösti. The one crucial rule: use waxy potatoes (festkochend) cooked the day before, peeled and grated cold. The full rösti recipe is in my free Top 10 Swiss Recipes PDF.

Noodles or Spätzli work too if you're short on time.