Category: veal

Categories
food parmesan potatoes veal

braised dexter veal with roasted red potatoes

 

I really, really love veal. I sigh in despair when I raise the subject of veal and people suck air through their teeth with a “oooh, but it’s so cruel” expression. Veal has a major PR disaster to recover from in this country before it gets welcomed back into kitchens.

So when Farmison sent me some topside veal to cook with, I punched the air. Any excuse to use it works for me. Farmison is a great idea; sourcing excellent food from smaller producers around the country (and beyond) to put together meat boxes and seasonal packs.

They sent me a whole bunch of things to try: porchetta, pineapples and more, some of which I’ll blog about later. But I have to mention the black potatoes: truly nasty things devoid of flavour. I couldn’t find them on their site to link to, but you’re not missing anything.

The Dexter veal however was great. This recipe is a gutsy braise, ensuring the meat stays moist. I’ve paired it with some unusual parmesan-roasted red potatoes to bounce off the sweet-tomatoey gravy.

Braised Dexter Veal with Roasted Red Potatoes (serves 4 – 6):

For the veal:

800g Dexter veal roasting joint

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 onion, peeled and diced

1 celery stick, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon tomato puree

1 glass red wine

500ml beef stock

For the potatoes:

5 – 6 red potatoes, diced

1 onion, peeled and diced

A large handful grated parmesan

4 garlic cloves, squashed

Pinch of dried thyme

  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C, and get a large casserole dish on a very high hob. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan. Season the veal all over with salt and pepper and when the dish is hot add to the pan. Brown on all sides and put to one side.
  2. Add the diced vegetables, bay and tomato and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the wine and scrape at the bottom of the pan to free the sticky bits. Keep stirring until the wine has almost completely reduced and add the stock. Bring up to the boil, put the veal back in the pan and put a lid on it. Transfer to the oven and cook until the veal reaches 65°C when checked with a meat thermometer.
  3. While the veal cooks prepare the potatoes. Toss the diced potato with the other ingredients along with a tablespoon of oil and salt and pepper. Put in the oven to bake and stir occasionally.
  4. When the veal is ready, turn the oven up to 200°C to brown the potatoes. Remove the veal to a carving board and cover with foil to keep warm. With a sieve over a bowl ladle in all the diced veg and strain off the juices. Discard the veg and put the gravy back in pan over a high heat and reduce rapidly until it thickens to the desired consistency. Carve the veal, serve with the potatoes and seasonal vegetables with the gravy on the side.
Categories
cream food mushroom potatoes shallot spring greens veal

veal with mushroom veloute and champ

I’ve been running wild on rose veal lately, courtesy of Farmers Choice. I’ve really got a taste for this Dorset-raised calf which has a loose texture and a delicate beef flavour and so deserves to be back on the menu.

I’ve paired the meat here with a subtle mushroom veloute and earthy champ-style mash.

Veal with mushroom veloute and champ (serves 2):

100ml milk

100ml chicken stock

1 bay leaf

1 shallot, peeled and sliced

150g button mushrooms

1 tablespoon plain flour

1 tablespoon butter

Lemon juice

50ml double cream

2 veal escalopes

4 floury potatoes, peeled and diced

1 large handful spring greens

A couple of spring onions, sliced

  1. In a small saucepan bring the milk and stock to the boil and add the bay leaf. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add the shallots and mushrooms. Simmer for 3-4 mins and remove the veg from the liquid. Discard the bay leaf.
  2. Fill a large pan with salted water and bring to the boil. Add the potatoes and simmer for 8 – 9 mins. Add the spring greens and spring onions and cook for a further 2 mins, and then drain.
  3. Get a frying pan really hot. Add a little oil to the veal and season well. Add to the pan and cook for a minute on each side, then put to one side to rest while you make the sauce.
  4. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the flour. Cook for 1 minute and gradually add the cooking liquor, stirring constantly until you have a smooth sauce. Stir in the cream and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Return the veg to the sauce.
  5. Mash the potato mix and season, but we’re not looking for a puree here. Flash the veal in the pan to heat up and serve with the sauce.
Categories
carrots food tomato veal

osso buco

Osso buco… the classic veal dish, and yet I’d never cooked it. I had some gorgeous Dorset rose veal shank from Farmers Choice and I felt this had to be the way to show it off.

I also had a copy of Polpo to hand which had a recipe for osso buco, so the timing seemed perfect. I’ve eaten at Polpetto before and was blown away by the cicheti, a kind of “Italian tapas”. So many lovely little things to try. And the book is a perfect reflection of the dining style; lots of little things to eat, but with large flavour. Most of the recipes are complete simplicity which demands the highest quality ingredients. Lovely. I took the recipe and applied it to my slow cooker so it could bubble away while I was out at work.

And how did this osso buco turn out? The meat was a little disappointing, slightly chewy but the flavour was good. The gravy however was delicious; thickened with bone marrow and rich with tomatoey goodness.

Osso buco (serves 2):

2 pieces of veal shin on the bone

Plain flour

2 carrots, roughly cut

1 celery stick, roughly chopped

1 sprig rosemary, leaves picked

1 sprig thyme, leaves picked

2 garlic cloves

A glass of white wine

1 tin tomatoes

  1. Preheat the slow cooker to high. Get the kettle on to boil. Get a large frying pan very hot and add a little oil. Roll the veal in flour and season well. Fry the veal on all sides and then transfer to the slow cooker.
  2. Add the carrot, celery, herbs to the pan and crush in the garlic. Fry for a minute or two and add the wine. Let that bubble up, then add the tomatoes. Once everything has come to the boil transfer to the slow cooker and top up with boiling water until everything is covered. Turn down to low and cook for 12 hours. Serve with wet polenta.
Categories
cheese food leftovers olives potatoes veal

veal potato pancake

Got veal leftovers? I do. This is a great potato pancake recipe that works with any cold meat, or even without!

I’ve tried making rosti before and never achieved decent results: soggy, or tasteless, or not quite cooked enough but this recipe from Alex Mackay is the business. I’ve cooked it twice now and it’s pleasingly consistent. It’s another recipe from Everybody Everyday. His version is with roast chicken but the excellent veal (from Farmer’s Choice) tastes just fine.

Veal potato pancake (serves 2):

700g floury potatoes

150g cooked veal, diced

8 sundried tomatoes, sliced

50g mozzarella, diced

20g cheddar, grated

2 spring onions, sliced

14 black olives, diced

40g butter

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Peel the potatoes and grate them into a tea towel. Gather up the tea towel and squeeze as much liquid as you can out of them. Season the potato really well.
  2. Get a frying pan super-hot and add a little oil. Add half the potato into the pan and pack down with a fish slice. Combine the veal tomatoes, cheeses, onions and olives in a bowl and season. Layer this mixture on top of the potato, then add the remaining potato on top. Press it down and dot half the butter around the edge of the pancake. Fry for a couple of minutes until golden.
  3. Using a plate flip the pancake over and slide the raw side back into the pan. Add the remaining butter around the edges and transfer to the over. Bake for 15 minutes or until the potato is cooked through. Serve with a fried egg and gravy.
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