Double Meat Delight Beef Stuffed Veal Breast Food

STUFFED AND ROASTED BONE-IN VEAL BREAST

Steps:

• Cut a pocket in veal breast, or ask your butcher to do it for you. Season pocket with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set aside veal to reach room temperature.
• In a skillet melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and saute until onion is tender and golden. In a bowl combine bread and eggs; add onion mixture, parsley and 1 cup of the chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper; mix well. Stuffing should be fairly wet; add a little more chicken stock if needed.
• Using a long spoon, reach deep inside veal pocket to distribute stuffing evenly. Use a trussing needle and string to sew up pocket. Season roast on all sides with salt and pepper and liberally sprinkle top with paprika. Place in roasting pan, top side up, and roast 3 1/2 hours in all. Baste top with 1/2 cup chicken stock every 45 minutes.
• Remove roast to a carving board and let sit, loosely covered, 15 minutes while you prepare sauce. Set roasting pan over medium-high heat and add remaining 3 cups chicken stock. Deglaze pan, scraping up browned bits and incorporating them into stock. Boil until stock reduces to 1 1/2 cups. If desired, thicken sauce with arrowroot or butter, or leave as is. Cut center portion of veal breast along chine bone separations into 6 servings. Spoon gravy over each portion.

DOUBLE MEAT DELIGHT (BEEF STUFFED VEAL BREAST)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Slice a pocket in the veal breast. Rub the salt inside the pocket.
• Mix the hamburger, oatmeal, and onions together and stuff inside the pocket. Close the pockets with toothpicks.
• Sprinkle paprika on the outside of the veal breast.
• Cover with foil and place in a roasting pan for 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake for another hour until veal is rich and brown.

STUFFED BRAISED VEAL BREAST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Coat a large straight-sided saute pan with olive oil. Smash 2 of the whole garlic cloves with the heel of your hand and toss them into the pan with a pinch of crushed red pepper. Bring the pan to a medium-high heat. When the garlic is golden brown and very aromatic, remove it from the pan and discard it, it has fulfilled its garlic destiny.
• Add the spinach to the pan, stir to coat the oil and season with salt. Cover the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the lid from the pan and stir the spinach, it should be wilted. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Transfer the spinach to a mesh strainer to let any excess water drain out.
• Return the pan to the burner and coat the pan with olive oil and add in 2 more garlic cloves that have been smashed with the heel of your hand. Repeat the process of cooking the garlic to golden brown and discarding. Toss in a pinch of crushed red pepper and the sliced mushrooms. Season the mushrooms with salt and cook until they are soft and wilted, add a little more oil if they are a little dry. Taste the mushrooms and adjust the seasoning if needed. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Squeeze out any excess liquid from the wilted spinach and coarsely chop. Add to the mushrooms, toss in the Parmigiano and stir to combine. Taste to make sure it is delicious. Reserve.
• Lay the meat out and gently pound to flatten. Sprinkle generously with salt. Lay the prosciutto slices down the middle of the veal. Lay a log of the spinach and mushroom mixture down the middle of the prosciutto. Roll the veal around the prosciutto and tie the veal with butcher's twine.
• Coat a Dutch oven with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Add the veal roll and brown on all sides. Remove the veal from the pan and reserve.
• Ditch any excess fat and add a few drops of new oil. Add the onions to the pan, stir to coat with the oil and season with salt. Lower the heat to medium and cook the onions, covered, for 7 to 8 minutes.
• Uncover the onions, they should be very soft and wilted. Add the chopped garlic and rosemary and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and reduce by half.
• Return the veal to the pan and add chicken stock until it comes about halfway up the sides of the veal. Toss in the bay leaves and thyme bundle. Cover and place in the oven and cook for 1 hour.
• Remove the veal from the oven, turn over and add more stock if the liquid has reduced. Taste the braising liquid if the liquid level has reduced significantly. Cook for 1 hour.
• Remove the lid from the Dutch oven and braise for another 45 minutes to allow the liquid to reduce.
• Remove the veal from the oven, remove from the pan, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes. Place the Dutch oven on a burner over medium heat to reduce the braising liquid if it is too soupy. Taste the liquid to make sure the seasoning is correct.
• Slice the veal into medallions and serve with the braising liquid and onions.
• Wine Pairing Suggestion: Gavi

STUFFED BREAST OF VEAL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the carrot, celery, and onion; cook and stir until the carrot begins to soften, 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the heat off, and stir in the garlic and parsley; set aside.
• Beat the eggs and water with salt and pepper in a large bowl. Fold in the bread cubes until they absorb the egg mixture, then fold in the cooked vegetables; set aside. Cut a deep pocket into the veal breast with a long, narrow knife. Stuff the veal with the bread and vegetable mixture, and season with paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place onto a roasting pan, and cover loosely with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven for 3 1/2 hours, then remove the foil, baste with pan drippings, and continue cooking 30 minutes more. When done, tent with aluminum foil, and allow the veal breast to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

BRAISED STUFFED BREAST OF VEAL

Steps:

• Heat an oven to 450 degrees. Rub the garlic with a little olive oil, wrap in foil and roast until soft, about 30 minutes. Remove the garlic and reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan, add the Swiss chard leaves, sprinkle with a little salt, and cook a few minutes, turning with tongs, until wilted. Place in a colander and press out as much liquid as possible.
• Coarsely chop the Swiss chard. Shred the prosciutto and scatter over the chard. Dust with the cheese and chop ingredients together until the chard is finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper.
• Use a sharp knife to remove excess fat from the surface of the veal. With boned side up, lightly score surface of veal in crisscross pattern. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the garlic out of cloves and mash. Spread on the meat. Spread with an even layer of chard mixture. Strew with the thyme and parsley. Tightly roll the slab of veal the long way. Use a butcher's cord to tie the veal at 1 1/2-inch intervals, tucking in any stuffing that oozes out.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large, deep casserole over medium heat. Cut the roast in half or thirds if necessary to fit in the casserole, and lightly brown on all sides, one section at a time. If the pan blackens, wash the casserole after browning the veal.
• Scatter carrots, onions, leek and celery over the veal in the casserole. Add enough liquid to nearly cover the meat. Bring to simmer on top of stove. Place in the oven and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours, basting frequently, until the meat is fork-tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in liquid to room temperature.
• Remove veal from cooking liquid, reserving liquid. Wrap veal in foil; refrigerate overnight.
• Reduce cooking liquid by half and skim off fat. Strain and freeze for another use.
• To serve, snip and remove cord from veal. Slice veal. Arrange on platter with vinaigrette, salsa verde or aioli alongside.

SPIEDINI (STUFFED VEAL ROLLS)

Steps:

• Prepare a medium hot charcoal fire, preheat a gas grill, or the broiler. Place grill rack or broiler pan 4 inches from heat.
• Place cutlets between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4 inch thickness. (If you don't have a meat pounder or mallet just use an empty wine bottle).
• Cut veal into 3 x 2 inch pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut mozzarella into 1 x 1/2 inch thick sticks and place a piece of cheese across the center of each cutlet. Sprinkle with parsley and garlic, roll up each piece of veal from one of the short sides.
• Skewer rolls onto two metal or bamboo skewers (hold skewers in the same hand, parallel and about an inch apart). Rolls should barely be touching. Skewer all meat in this way.
• Brush rolls with olive oil. Sprinkle with bread crumbs, patting them so they stick. Grill/broil skewers, turning once, until meat is browned and the cheese is slightly melted (about 10 minutes).
• Slide rolls off skewers and onto a warm serving platter. Serve immediately.

STUFFED ROAST VEAL BREAST

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix together the stuffing ingredients.
• Put the veal breast meat side up on a flat surface. Using a sharp, thin knife, slice along the widest side of the breast, as close to the bones as possible, to create a deep pocket. Push the stuffing into the cavity and press on it to distribute it evenly over the bones. Tie the open end shut with soft kitchen string, wrapping it twice to secure the stuffing inside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large casserole. Sprinkle the meat all over with salt, and when the oil is hot, brown the meat for a total of 30 minutes over medium heat, turning occasionally so it is uniformly brown. Add the sliced onion and water; cover, reduce heat to very low and cook 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the meat to a platter. In the remaining juices (about 1 1/2 cups), arrange the potatoes in one layer. Put the roast on top, meat side up, and cook, uncovered, in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the meat is nicely browned on top and the potatoes are cooked through.
• At this point, the roast is cooked enough so the ribs can be twisted and pulled away from the meat. Slice the meat, following the shape of the ribs and slicing right through the cartilage bones. Serve each person one slice with potatoes and pan juices.

GERMAN STUFFED VEAL BREAST

Steps:

• Mix ground meats, egg, bread crumbs, lemon juice, netmeg, salt, and pepper for stuffing.
• Stuff pocket of veal breast.
• Sew closed or use toothpicks or skewers.
• Brown roast in melted shortening in ovenproof casserole.
• To the drippings add paprika, bay leaves, cloves, rosemary, basil, and 2 cups water.
• Bake in a covered casserole at 325 degrees, for 2 hours or until veal is tender.
• Slice veal and serve immediately.

STUFFED VEAL BREAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275°F; rub the inside of a mixing bowl with the garlic, then chop it and add to the bowl.
• Stir in egg, 3 tablespoons wine, salt, pepper, and nutmeg; mix in parsley, bread crumbs, and sausage.
• Stuff the pocket of the veal breast, gently pressing it into the corners; truss pocket closed with small skewers.
• Lay the bacon or pancetta in the bottom of your braising pan, cover with shallot, and lay the veal on top; cover, and cook on the stove top, on low heat, until the bacon sweats and the shallot softens, about 15 minutes.
• Add 1/2 cup of wine and bring to a simmer; let reduce until their is just a film of liquid remaining in the pan.
• Add 1/2 cup broth and reduce again; add in remaining broth to just cover 3/4 of the meat.
• Cover pan with parchment paper, then the lid, and place in oven until fork tender, about 2 hours.
• Remove lid and parchment, then baste meat with pan juices to form a glaze; return to oven for 5 minutes, then repeat.
• Remove from oven and let cool in liquid; slice and serve warm with cooking juices (can also be chilled and served cold).

BRAISED VEAL BREAST

Steps:

• Prepare the boneless veal breast by removing and discarding all visible fat. Let the meat come to room temperature.
• Roll the meat into a roll, tightly turning one edge inside and on top of itself, like a jellyroll. Cut 4 or 5 12-inch lengths of kitchen twine and tie the roll so that it keeps its uniform shape.
• Season the entire roll with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Place a large French oven or braising pan (one that has a cover) over high heat. Add the canola oil and heat for 30 seconds until shimmering.
• Add the meat and brown on all sides. This will take about 10 minutes. Don't rush this step because the browning adds important flavor to the dish.
• Remove the meat to a plate and add the carrots, onion, celery and garlic to the pan. Lower the meat to medium and cook until the vegetables soften, about 6 minutes.
• Pour in the wine. Let it boil, scraping the sides and bottom of the pan to remove all the brown bits.
• Add 3 cups of chicken stock and bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer. Do not add any more salt or pepper at any point because through the cooking, the flavors will concentrate and the seasoning on the meat before you browned it will probably be enough. You can also adjust for seasonings at the very end of the cooking.
• Return the meat to the pan. If the meat isn't submerged at least half-way in the stock/wine mixture, add more stock until it is, up to one more cup.
• Cover the pan and adjust the heat so that the liquid is at a low simmer. Cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, turning the meat over at least once half-way through the cooking.
• When the meat is tender and soft to your touch (press it with the tips of your fingers and make sure that it gives a bit), remove the veal roll from the cooking liquid and place on a plate. Cover with foil to keep it warm.
• Turn the heat up under the remaining cooking liquid and bring to a boil and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half. Check to see if it has reached a sauce-like thickness by dipping a teaspoon in the liquid, turn the spoon over and run your finger through the liquid coating the spoon. If it leaves a clear mark, it has probably thickened enough.
• Strain the liquid through a fine-holed sieve to remove the vegetables. Return the sauce to the pan and add the minced herbs. Taste for seasoning.
• Slice the meat into 1/2-inch pieces and drizzle the sauce over the slices or else pass the sauce in a separate serving dish.

ROAST STUFFED BREAST OF VEAL

Steps:

• Put the bread cubes in a small bowl and pour the milk over them; toss together, and let the bread soak up the milk, tossing the cubes every few minutes so they moisten evenly.
• Meanwhile, put the mortadella, onion, carrot, and celery pieces in the food processor, fitted with the steel blade, and chop them together into fine bits, processing continuously for about 1/2 minute; scrape down the sides of the bowl, and process briefly until everything is a pastelike mix.
• Pour the olive oil into a 10- or 12-inch skillet, and set over medium-high heat; scrape in the chopped stuffing and spread it in the pan. As it starts to sizzle, lower the heat considerably, stir, and sauté gently for 3 or 4 minutes to bring out the flavors-don't let the stuffing get crusty or colored.
• Squeeze the bread cubes firmly by handfuls to get out excess milk, and scatter them over the stuffing. Still cooking over low heat, break up the bread clumps with a spoon or spatula, and stir to incorporate completely. Mix in the chopped prunes, and cook them with the stuffing for a minute or so. Take the pan off the heat and scrape the stuffing into a bowl.
• Let the stuffing cool, then stir in the pine nuts, grated cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and the beaten egg, mixing thoroughly.
• At this time, set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 400°.
• As I explain in the box (page 359), and as you can see in the photos, your stuffing method will vary with the size and cut of veal breast (and your own preferences). Follow these general steps to prepare the breast: Rinse and dry it thoroughly. Check the breast for pockets of fat and remove. There is often a clump of fat on the bony side, where you will see a flap of meat partially covering the ribs. Lift this flap, and cut away the fat hidden inside. Do not remove the skin on the bottom-either from the ribs or the meat flap-as it helps hold the breast together.
• This flap of meat, under the ribs, is the one I use to wrap around the stuffed breast in the photos. Cut it off, shave off the silver skin from both sides, then pound it with a meat hammer or tenderizer until it is paper-thin, like carpaccio. And there's your wrapper!
• To stuff: Follow the method shown in the photos, first cutting a pocket in the meaty layers on top of the ribs, then filling it with your stuffing. Enclose the breast and exposed stuffing with the pounded veal flap (or use bacon strips or prosciutto slices), and tie securely with kitchen twine.
• If you have a whole veal-breast tip cut, you need only slice open the pocket on the wide side down to the tip and push the stuffing in toward the closed tip. Then tie the roast closed.
• Put the tied breast in the roasting pan and sprinkle the salt all over, patting the crystals into the meat. Pour on the olive oil and rub it all over. Set the breast, rib side down, in the center of the pan.
• Put all the chopped vegetables, the prunes, and the seasonings (except the salt) in a big bowl, and toss with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil. If your broth is unsalted, add 1 teaspoon salt to the vegetables-use less salt or no salt if your broth is salted already. Scatter the vegetables and seasonings around the veal in the pan. Pour in the white wine and 2 cups or more broth or water, so the cooking liquid is about 1/2 inch deep in the pan.
• Cover the pan with one or more long sheets of aluminum foil, arching the foil if necessary to keep it from touching the meat and vegetables. Crimp the foil around the rim of the pan, and press it tightly against the sides all around, sealing the veal and vegetables in a tent.
• Set the pan in the oven and roast for an hour, then bring the roasting pan up front and carefully remove the foil. The veal should be lightly browned and the juices bubbling. Baste with the juices, turn the vegetables over, and push the pan back into the oven.
• Roast for another hour or so, uncovered, basting every 20 minutes and rotating the pan back to front for even cooking. The top of the veal breast should be brown and crusty, the vegetables lightly browned as well, and the liquid considerably reduced. Remove from the oven.
• Lift out the veal breast with a large spatula, or by holding it with towels, and rest it on a platter while you start the sauce.
• With a potato masher, crush the cooked vegetables in the juices, breaking them up into little bits. Set the sieve over the saucepan, and pour everything from the pan through it, pressing the solids against the sieve with a big spoon to release their liquid, then discard the remains. Let the juices rest, and when the fat rises to the top, skim it off. (Putting the pan in a bowl of ice water will help the fat to congeal, if you are in a hurry.) Set the saucepan over high heat, bring the juices to a boil, and reduce them, uncovered, until they've thickened to a syrupy sauce.
• Meanwhile, return the veal to the roasting pan and pour any accumulated juices into the saucepan. Baste the veal one more time with hot juices, and put it back in the oven to roast for 30 minutes more, until it is dark and crusty on top and the sides are browned as well.
• To make sure the stuffing is cooked too, insert an instant-read thermometer into the stuffing layer. At 160°, it is ready.
• Remove the veal from the oven, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Cut away the kitchen twine. Remove the ribs, loosening them with a knife, and pulling them out one at a time while holding the roast steady.
• Slice crosswise into thick slices with a sharp, serrated knife. Lay the slices on a warm platter, showing off the stuffing layer, and moisten with the sauce. Pass more sauce at the table.
• *Cut them in small pieces, as listed, for sauce. To serve roast vegetables, cut them as described on page 344.
• This stuffing is excellent for turkey and chicken.
• The meat business has changed in my lifetime. Most retail butchers don't get meat in large quarters and "primal" cuts that they skillfully divide any way we ask. Supermarket meat departments, I've found, only get pre-cut sections of the most popular meats, which require minimal cutting before they go out in the case.
• Unfortunately, the ideal veal breast for this recipe is not an item much in demand. It may take dedicated searching to find a butcher in your area who can fabricate the perfect piece: a 5-pound bone-in breast cut, from the tip. That's the very end of the breast, farthest from the front leg, and it has two advantages: lots of cartilage, which adds flavor and richness, and a naturally closed pocket at the tip, which makes stuffing easy.
• On the day we tested this recipe and took these photos, I couldn't get a breast tip anywhere. The piece shown here (which came from a Manhattan supermarket) is only 3 1/2 pounds and cut from the middle, not the closed end of the breast. As you can see, the pocket that I cut for the stuffing is open on both ends.
• I wondered, though, how would I keep the stuffing in? My first idea was to wrap bacon or prosciutto slices around the openings and tie them in place. But we didn't have any in the kitchen that day-and there was no time for shopping. So I did something quite acceptable in cooking-I improvised. I took a flap of veal meat that is hidden under the ribs, next to the cutting board in the photos. I trimmed and pounded it and made a sheet that covered the holes neatly. Tied in place, the patch worked fine. No stuffing was lost, and we enjoyed our roast and delicious sauce for lunch and supper too.
• One of the important-and challenging-lessons in cooking is that we cooks learn to make do with what we have.