Veal Roast With Fresh Figs Food

ROAST OF VEAL

Steps:

• Sprinkle the roast with the salt and pepper.
• Melt the butter in a heavy ovenproof saucepan or skillet. Add the roast and cook it over medium-to-low heat on top of the stove for 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until it is brown on all sides.
• Place in a preheated 425-degree oven. After 30 minutes, add the water and cook for 10 additional minutes. By then, the juices will have melted and a natural sauce formed.
• Let the roast stand for approximately 15 minutes to allow the meat to relax.
• At serving time, slice the roast and arrange a few slices on each of six plates. Spoon some of the natural juices over the meat and garnish each serving with a few glazed onions and two or three potato savonnettes.

FAMILY-STYLE VEAL ROAST

Steps:

• Mix 2 tablespoons garlic, 2 tablespoons rosemary, 1 tablespoon thyme and lemon peel in bowl. Rub over veal. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover; chill overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in heavy 8 1/2- to 10-quart pot over medium-high heat. Add veal; brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Using tongs, transfer veal to roasting pan. Add ribs and ham hocks to pot; brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Using tongs, transfer to same pan. Add sausage to pot; sauté until brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to same pan. Add onions and 1 tablespoon garlic to pot. Sauté over low heat 5 minutes. Add carrots, broth, wine, bay leaves, caraway, 1 tablespoon rosemary and 1 tablespoon thyme. Bring to boil. Return meats to pot. Cover; bake until veal is tender, about 2 hours.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer meats and vegetables to large platter. Cut off string from veal. Slice veal; place on platter. Tent with foil. Boil juices in pot until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Spoon some juices over meat and vegetables. Serve, passing remaining juices separately.

ROAST VEAL WITH ROSEMARY AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put the oil in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place the veal in the pan with the garlic and cover with tin foil. Roast the veal for one hour, basting frequently.
• Peel the potatoes and cut them into one-and-a-half-inch pieces. Cover with water and set aside.
• Dry the potatoes with paper towels and after the veal has roasted for one hour, place them in the roasting pan around the veal. Sprinkle with rosemary and roast for one hour. The veal will have cooked two hours in all.
• Remove the veal to a heated serving dish and surround with potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the fat from the roasting pan and add the stock and wine. Bring to boil. Simmer for a couple of minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. Correct seasoning and serve in a heated sauceboat.

PROVENçAL BREAST OF VEAL WITH SPRINGTIME STUFFING

Steps:

• Bring a large pot full of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the chard and spinach, bring the water back to a boil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until thoroughly wilted. Drain and squeeze out as much moisture as possible, pressing the greens against a colander with a wooden spoon. Or for a more thorough job, use your hands when the greens have cooled somewhat. Finely chop, either by hand or by pulsing in a food processor.
• In a large skillet, sauté the minced garlic in 3 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat until pale gold, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chard and spinach. Cook, stirring, over medium heat, until the liquid is evaporated and the garlic is thoroughly distributed, 5 to 7 minutes. The greens should be very tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Sauté the onion in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat in 3 tablespoons of the oil until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with the onions. In another saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Add the broth to the rice a few spoonfuls at a time, as if making risotto. Keep the heat medium-low, and stir, waiting until the broth is nearly absorbed before adding another spoonful. Cook the rice until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes in all. If you finish adding the broth and the rice is not yet tender, add a tablespoon or two of hot water, as needed. Season the rice with salt and pepper (taking in to account the saltiness of the broth you are using), add it to the chard and spinach, and set aside to cool.
• Break the head into single cloves and put them, unpeeled, into a small baking dish in which they fit snugly (I use a 5-inch-square porcelain ramekin). Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the oil and 1 teaspoon of the thyme. Cover tightly (use foil if you don't have a lid), and roast for 30 to 45 minutes, until a soft puree is formed when you squeeze a clove. Avoid overcooking, which turns the garlic bitter. Squeeze the puree out by hand or run the unpeeled cloves through a food mill to trap the peels. Put the roasted garlic puree in a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the rosemary and the lemon juice. Stir well and set aside. Turn off the oven-you will be pan-braising the meat.
• In a food processor, pulse the remaining 1 tablespoon each of rosemary and thyme, the parsley, mint, and lemon zest until finely chopped. Add to the rice mixture. Stir in the egg until well combined.
• Trim the veal of gristle and as much fat as possible. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over, including the inside pocket. Fill the pocket with the stuffing, pushing the mixture as far in as possible, but don't overfill-it will expand somewhat while cooking. Sew the pocket closed. (A large embroidery needle and strong cotton thread or unwaxed dental floss work very well here. Or use a trussing needle and kitchen twine. I find skewering not as successful here-the stuffing is more likely to ooze out into the pan gravy.)
• In a 6-quart Dutch oven or heavy casserole just large enough to accommodate the veal, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil until hot, but not smoking. Add the veal and brown it slowly on all sides, turning carefully with wooden spoons so you don't piece the meat. When it is thoroughly browned, arrange the meat so that the fat side is up. Spread the roasted garlic mixtue all over the top. Add the wine and bring to a slow bubble. Place the lid slightly askew, and braise at a slow simmer over very low heat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or longer, if necessary, until the meat is very tender. Use a flame tamer (blech) or stack two stove burner grates , if you must to keep the flame very low. Every 20 minutes or so, baste with the pan juices. If possible, turn the meat a few times; don't worry about losing the roasted garlic coating on top-it will add delicious flavor to the cooking juices.
• Transfer the veal to a platter, and let it stand for 10 minutes, tented with foil to keep warm. Boil up the cooking juices for a few minutes to concentrate the flavors, taste for seasoning, then transfer to a sauce boat.
• Slice the veal about 1/2-inch thick, making sure that the slices enclose some of the filling. Nap with some of the juices. Pass remaining sauce separately.
• Don't pass by this fabulous veal because your family refrains from eating rice on Passover. When my agent Elise Goodman wanted to prepare it for her seder, we came up with a wonderful alternative mashed potato stuffing.
• Prepare the stuffing according to the directions above, omitting rice and broth. Sauté the onion until rice gold and set aside. Simmer 3 1/2 cups russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed, in cold, salted water to cover, until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash the potatoes until smooth. Stir in the reserved sautéed onion (along with any oil remaining in the pan), and 1 additional tablespoon olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the potato mixture to the chard and spinach, set aside to cool, and continue with the recipe.

ROAST QUAIL WITH FRESH FIGS

Steps:

• Cook onion, celery, and garlic in butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until pale golden, about 10 minutes. Add demi-glace and boil, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes. Stir in tarragon, vinegar, walnuts, dried figs, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper, then spread stuffing on a plate to cool.
• Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown figs, cut sides down, without stirring, about 3 minutes. Transfer figs to a bowl with a slotted spatula. Add shallot and celery to skillet and sauté, stirring, until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add wine and 8 to 10 browned fig halves (reserve remainder) and boil, stirring and mashing figs, until wine is reduced to a syrup, about 5 minutes. Stir in demi-glace and bring to a boil. Stir arrowroot into vinegar until dissolved, then add to skillet, whisking to incorporate. Boil sauce 2 minutes, then pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a 2-quart heavy saucepan, pressing on and then discarding solids. Stir in tarragon, salt, and pepper.
• Discard any disposable metal skewers from cavity of each quail, then rinse quail inside and out and pat dry. Stuff 1 quail with a scant 1/4 cup stuffing, pressing and shaping it to fill out breast. Tie legs together with string and push legs up against body. Thread cavity closed with a wooden pick. Repeat with remaining quail.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Sprinkle quail all over with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon each butter and oil in cleaned 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown 6 quail on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Transfer with tongs to a large shallow baking pan. Wipe skillet clean and brown remaining 6 quail in same manner in remaining tablespoon each of butter and oil.
• Remove strings and picks from all quail, then roast quail, breast sides up, until just cooked through (check inner thigh - meat will still be slightly pink), 10 to 15 minutes. Add reserved browned figs to pan for last 2 to 3 minutes of roasting.
• While quail roast, return sauce to a simmer, then add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, whisking until incorporated.
• Transfer quail and figs to a serving dish and pour any juices from baking pan into sauce. Serve quail with sauce.
• Do Ahead: Stuffing can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before proceeding. Figs and sauce (without remaining 2 tablespoons butter) can be prepared 1 day ahead and cooled, uncovered, then chilled separately, covered. Bring sauce to a simmer before adding butter. Quail can be browned 1 hour before roasting. Keep quail, uncovered, at room temperature.

VEAL ROAST WITH FRESH FIGS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• 2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed, oven proof baking dish over medium heat and when the oil is hot but not smoking, brown the veal on all sides. Remove the veal from the pan and add the figs. Cook until they are golden but not too soft, about 5 minutes. Remove the figs and reserve. Add the onions to the pan. Cook, covered, until the onions are tender and golden, stirring occasionally so they don't stick, about 10 minutes. Return the veal roast to the pan with the onions. Season it with salt and pepper, then pour the wine over all. Tuck the bay leaves around the veal, pushing them under the wine, cover, and roast in the oven until the veal is nearly cooked through, about 1 hour. Turning it once during cooking.
• 3. Remove the veal from the oven. Add the figs to the veal, pushing them gently down under the cooking juices. Cover and return to the oven and bake until the veal is cooked through and figs are tender and melting, an additional 15 minutes.
• 4. Remove the veal from the oven and transfer the veal to a warmed platter. Place the pan with the cooking juices over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil gently just until the sauce has thickened enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon, 4 to 5 minutes, making sure that the cooking juices don't evaporate too much and that the figs and onions don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
• 5. To serve, remove the strings from the veal roast and slice it. Spoon the figs and onions and the cooking juices over it, garnish the platter with parsley and serve immediately.