The Essential James Beard Cookbook (22 page)

ROAST LOIN OR SHOULDER OF VEAL

MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS

Editor: Elegant and simple, roast veal can be served with nothing more complicated than buttered asparagus and oven-roasted potatoes. The loin roast is considerably more expensive than the shoulder, and it is a very tender cut fit for very special guests, while veal shoulder makes a fine casual supper.

One 4- to 5-pound veal loin roast, or boned and rolled shoulder

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or 2 teaspoons dried tarragon

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 strips bacon

¹
⁄
₃
cup dry white wine

Rub the veal well with garlic, tarragon, salt, and pepper, and place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Place the strips of bacon over it. Roast in a preheated 325°F oven for approximately 22 minutes per pound, or until a meat thermometer registers 150° for the loin or 165° for the shoulder. Baste occasionally with the wine, then the pan juices. During the last half hour, remove the bacon so the veal roast can brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before carving. Spoon off all fat from the pan juices and serve the juices with the carved veal.

VITELLO TONNATO

(VEAL WITH TUNA SAUCE)

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

There are many ways of preparing this famous Italian specialty, one of the best hot-weather dishes I know. It bears a lively piquant quality that arouses the appetite and pleases the nose. Some people slice cold roast veal and serve it with tuna mayonnaise, but I think it tastes better if the veal is braised and the sauce made with the pan juices. More time-consuming, but worth the extra trouble. Serve with a rice salad or sliced tomatoes.

For the Veal

3 pounds boneless veal loin roast, tied

3 garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers

6 anchovy fillets in oil, drained

1 teaspoon dried basil

5 to 6 tablespoons olive oil

3 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced

1 carrot, scraped

1 leek, trimmed and washed clean

2 or 3 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 pig’s feet or 1 veal knuckle, split

1½ cups dry white wine

1 cup water or
Chicken Stock

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

For the Tuna Sauce

1½ cups jellied cooking liquid

One-and-a-half (5-ounce) cans tuna packed in olive oil, drained

4 anchovy fillets in oil, drained

2 garlic cloves, peeled

Nonpareil capers, chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, and chopped fresh basil, for garnish

To prepare the veal: The day before serving, make incisions in the veal with the point of a sharp paring knife. Stuff the garlic slivers into the holes, then insert the anchovy fillets, pushing them in very deeply with the garlic. Rub the meat with the basil and brown it on all sides in the oil in a deep 8-quart Dutch oven. Add the onions, carrot, leek, and parsley, and cook the vegetables a little in the oil. Then add the pig’s feet, wine, water, pepper, and salt.

Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer the meat on top of the stove or in a preheated 300°F oven for 1½ hours, or until tender when tested with a fork, but not soft and mushy. Remove the meat from the pan to a platter, cover with aluminum foil, and refrigerate overnight. Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl, discarding the solids. Cool the liquid until tepid, cover with plastic wrap, and reserve in the refrigerator overnight.

To make the sauce: Skim the fat from the cold cooking liquid (it should have jellied). Combine 1½ cups jellied juices, the tuna and its oil, the anchovies, and garlic in a food processor or blender. Whirl until well blended and thick.

Remove the veal from the refrigerator and slice thinly. Arrange on a platter and spoon the tuna sauce over it. Return to the refrigerator until ready to serve, so the veal absorbs the flavor of the sauce. To serve, garnish with capers, chopped parsley, and chopped basil.

VARIATION

VEAL WITH TUNA SAUCE, YOGURT, AND MAYONNAISE:
Combine the tuna-anchovy purée with 1 cup each mayonnaise and plain low-fat yogurt. Add additional capers and finely cut scallions. Spoon the sauce over the veal and chill.

OSSI BUCHI

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Editor: Beard believed that
osso buco
, which is Italian for the singular “bone with a hole” and the way this dish is described on many menus, is incorrect. After all, it is cooked with multiple bones, not just one. Ossi buchi are traditionally served with
Risotto
. To simplify the side dish, you could substitute
Saffron Rice
for the risotto. The gremolata is a very important element in ossi buchi, as it adds bright, fresh notes to the rich stew.

For the Veal Shanks

8 veal shanks with marrow, cut about 2 inches thick

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter

1½ cups dry white wine

1½ cups chopped canned Italian plum or chopped fresh plum tomatoes

1½ cups
Chicken Stock

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Gremolata

2 to 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

²
⁄
₃
cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon

To prepare the veal shanks: Tie each veal shank with kitchen twine, in both directions (like the ribbon on a gift box), so as to keep the marrow intact. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sauté the shanks, turning once, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Return them to the Dutch oven, standing them upright. Add the white wine and cook over medium heat until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours, or until tender.

To make the gremolata: Chop the garlic and parsley together well. Transfer to a small bowl and mix in the lemon zest. Place the veal shanks on a deep serving platter, and remove the strings. Spoon the sauce over them and sprinkle with the gremolata. Serve hot.

VEAL RAGOUT

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

A simple veal ragout of stew is a great delicacy unless subjected to overcooking, a common habit of many stew makers. Somehow the idea took root that if long cooking is good, longer cooking must be better. This is not the case with a delicate meat like veal. Even the less tender sections are not tough enough to warrant very lengthy cooking. Noodles or rice go well with veal stew.

2½ to 3 pounds veal leg or shoulder cut into 1½-inch cubes (or riblets cut from the breast)

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1½ tablespoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced

2 medium green bell peppers, broiled to blacken the skins, peeled, seeded, and cut into strips

1 to 1½ cups drained canned Italian plum tomatoes

¾ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or ½ teaspoon dried basil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

¾ cup pitted Mediterranean black olives, preferably Italian or Kalamata

Finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Working in batches, brown the veal in a Dutch oven in the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Transfer to a platter. Season with salt and pepper and return to the Dutch oven. Add the onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, wine, basil, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for about 1½ hours, or until tender. Add the olives and let the sauce reduce slightly over high heat, uncovered, for 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the veal to a deep platter with a slotted spoon. Continue boiling the sauce for 4 to 5 minutes more. Correct the seasoning. Pour over the veal and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

VEAL CHOPS NIÇOISE

MAKE 6 SERVINGS

Veal chops are extraordinarily good when braised with the proper seasonings. Thickly cut loin chops of the choicest veal are the best to buy. Accompany with a brisk white wine from Provence, well chilled.

For the Tomato Sauce

2½ cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, coarsely crushed, juices reserved

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 or 2 leaves fresh basil, torn into small bits, or ½ teaspoon dried basil

2 tablespoons tomato paste

For the Veal Chops

6 veal loin chops, cut 2 inches thick

¼ cup all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

36 black French olives, such as Niçoise or Nyons, pitted

2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves or 1 teaspoon dried basil

Saffron Rice

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)

To make the tomato sauce: Put the tomatoes, onions, garlic, butter, salt, pepper, and basil in a medium saucepan and cook down over medium heat until the mixture is reduced by one-third, about 20 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced to about 1½ cups. Taste, and correct the seasoning.

To cook the veal chops: Sprinkle both sides of the chops lightly with flour, shaking off any excess. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the veal chops quickly on both sides, salting and peppering them as they cook, until delicately browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and garlic, cover, and simmer for about 20 to 40 minutes (depending on the age of the veal) or until tender but not overcooked; the point of a knife should penetrate easily. Add the pitted olives and basil and heat through. Taste and correct the seasoning.

Arrange the chops and sauce on a mound of saffron rice and garnish, if desired, with finely chopped parsley.

VEAL SCALLOPS WITH LEMON

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

I find that many people—just because flour in cooking is so out of fashion today—object to flouring veal scallops before cooking. I consider the flour as optional, though it does enable the meat to brown better. You’ll find it more convenient to use two skillets for sautéing the scallops, as that way you can serve them all at once, hot from the pan.