Charles Micheners Potted Veal Food

VEAL CACCIATORE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle.
• Bring wine to a simmer in a small saucepan. Stir in porcini and remove from heat.
• Pat veal dry and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wide 6-to 8-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown veal, turning, about 12 minutes.
• Transfer veal to a plate. Discard fat from pot and add remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add pancetta and sauté over medium-high heat until it begins to brown. Add onions and sauté until softened, about 8 minutes.
• Drain porcini in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, pressing on mushrooms and reserving wine. Coarsely chop porcini and add to pancetta mixture with carrots, celery, and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in wine and cook until most has evaporated, about 2 minutes.
• Coarsely chop tomatoes and add to pot with their juice. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Add veal with meat juices from plate, rosemary, bay leaves, and olives. Cover pot and braise veal in oven, turning roast occasionally, until center of meat is fork-tender, 2 3/4 to 3 hours.
• Transfer veal to a cutting board and let stand, loosely covered. Simmer sauce over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and a pinch of sugar if desired. Cut off strings from roast and discard bay leaves and rosemary. Thickly slice veal and return to pot, basting with sauce.

VEAL PARMIGIANA

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, salt and pepper in a pie plate. Set aside. In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and water. Set aside. On a plate, spread the all-purpose flour. Coat the veal scallops with the flour and shake off the excess. Dip in the egg mixture and then coat with the bread crumb mixture, patting with your fingers to make the crumbs adhere.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the veal and saute until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn the cutlets and cook, 2 to 3 minutes more, adding a little more oil if the pan looks dry. Remove veal scallops to a plate and blot with paper towels.
• Lightly oil a flameproof baking pan or shallow baking dish. Spoon into the pan 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Arrange the veal scallops over the sauce, slightly overlapping them. Sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese. Cover with the remaining tomato sauce. Top with the mozzarella slices and the remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, 20 to 30 minutes. If you wish to brown the top, remove the foil and run the dish briefly under a broiler.

CHARLES MICHENER'S POTTED VEAL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Season the veal with salt and pepper and dust it with flour. In a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven with a tight lid, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over high heat. Add the veal and brown on all sides. Remove the veal and add the onion, carrots and celery. Lower heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are browned, about 10 minutes. Return the veal to the pot and add the wine, stock, garlic, thyme and lemon peel and bring just to a boil. Cover the pot and place it in the oven. Cook until the meat is very tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Remove the meat and set aside. Pour the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer. Discard the solids and reserve the cooking liquid. Add the last tablespoon of oil to the pot and place it over medium-high heat. Saute the finely chopped onion, carrots and celery, until tender. Skim any excess fat from the reserved cooking liquid and add it to the pot. Drain the mushrooms, chop them coarsely and add them, along with the soaking liquid, to the pot. Lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, and cook for one hour.
• When ready to serve, return the meat to the pot with the sauce and place it over medium heat. Combine the zest and parsley and sprinkle it over the meat. Cook, covered, until the meat is thoroughly warmed. Transfer to a platter and serve.

VEAL AND BELL PEPPERS

Steps:

• Combine flour with salt and pepper.
• Coat veal cubes with flour.
• Saute the veal cubes in olive oil in dutch oven until lightly browned.
• Add additional oil if pot appears too dry.
• Add minced garlic and saute a few minutes to release the flavor of the garlic.
• Remove veal and garlic from pot.
• Add wine to pot, scraping up browned bits.
• Bring to boil and cook for a few minutes to reduce the wine by half.
• Add diced tomatoes and chicken broth to the pot.
• Bring to boil, while stirring.
• Return veal to pot, cover and simmer approx 1 hr or until veal is tender.
• Add peppers and onions, cover and simmer approx 30 minutes.
• Add mushrooms (if desired).
• Stir until heated.
• Serve in bowls wih crusty bread for dipping into the sauce.
• Entree is also excellent served over rice, pasta, or a side of mashed potatoes.

VEAL SHOULDER WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS, GARLIC AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grind mushrooms to powder in coffee or spice mill. Coarsely chop garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper in processor. Set aside 1 tablespoon garlic mixture; press remainder, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, into center of veal through openings of string (or poke holes in veal and push garlic mixture in). Coat outside of veal with mushroom powder.
• Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add bones and brown well, about 8 minutes. Transfer bones to bowl. Add veal to pot. Brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add reserved 1 tablespoon garlic mixture and any remaining mushroom powder to pot around veal and stir 1 minute. Arrange bones around veal. Add broth, wine, tomatoes, tomato paste and vinegar. Bring to boil. Cover; place in oven and roast until veal is tender, turning veal every 30 minutes, about 2 hours. Cool veal uncovered 1 hour. Discard bones. Refrigerate until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated 1 day. Scrape off fat from surface of sauce. Transfer veal to work surface, scraping any sauce back into pot. Remove strings. Cut veal crosswise into scant 1/2-inch-thick slices. Overlap slices in large baking dish. Boil sauce until reduced to 3 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over veal. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover with foil and chill.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake veal covered until heated, about 35 minutes.