Veal with Sheep Cheese

This Balkan-style braised veal is something you’d find at family tables across the Mediterranean’s eastern edge, in Bulgarian, Macedonian, and northern Greek kitchens. Cubed veal slowly browns and braises with onions, then cucumber goes in to soak up the meat juices, and the whole thing gets finished with crumbled sheep cheese, fresh dill, and tomato dust scattered over the top. Warm flatbread mops up the sauce.

The cucumber is the unexpected hero. Cooking cucumber is unfamiliar to most Western palates, but it’s traditional across the Balkans and into central Asia. Slow simmering softens the cucumber while concentrating its faintly sweet, refreshing character. The seeds need removing first; they’d turn watery and dilute the braise.

Use real sheep cheese, not cow’s milk feta. Bulgarian sirene, Greek manouri, or Turkish beyaz peynir are all proper sheep cheeses with the slightly funky, grassy character that defines this dish. Crumble it on at the very last moment so it stays in distinct pieces; stirred in too early, it melts into a milky haze.

Fresh dill is non-negotiable. Dried dill loses the bright anise character that brings everything together. The herb works in beautiful tension against the rich veal and salty cheese.

Chef Tips

• Brown the veal in batches with space between cubes. Crowded pans steam instead of brown, and you lose the fond.
• Don’t oversalt before the cheese goes in. Sheep cheese is salty, and over-seasoning the braise creates an over-salty final dish.
• Tomato and cheese mixed together should be sprinkled, not stirred. The visual contrast is part of the presentation.
• Warm the flatbread in a 350°F (175°C) oven for five minutes just before serving for the proper texture.

Variations

• Use lamb shoulder in place of veal for a more robust, Greek-leaning version.
• Add a tablespoon of paprika with the onions for a more Hungarian-Balkan flavor profile.
• Swap dill for fresh mint for a Turkish character.