V is for Veal - A to Z Challenge 2015

A lot of people refuse to eat veal because it comes from a young animal. I do see their point, but if you eat meat I don’t really see the difference caused by the age of said animal. Matt and I both enjoy veal and although I quite enjoy schnitzels made from pork, originally they were always veal. Some of the classic schnitzel dishes, particularly from Austria, Italy and France are absolutely delicious meals. In Germany I remember eating Schnitzel Holstein which was wonderful. Apparently most veal comes from the young bulls of dairy cattle although it can be from either sex.

We have a favourite Italian dish which we haven’t made for a while. Veal has to be cooked quickly by the way, if you cook it for too long it becomes tough. Pairing it with tuna may seem odd, but in fact is the most delicious dish for a summer meal. I first ate Vitello Tonnata at the Christening of my Goddaughter who’s father was an Italian chef – he made all the christening food and taught us to make this dish.


Vitello Tonnato

Classic Italian

2 1/4 pounds(1 k) boned veal, cut from the rump.
3/4 lb (320 g) tuna packed in oil
3 eggs
6 salted anchovies (the canned variety, sold by delicatessens)
A handful of pickled capers
1/2 cup (approx.) olive oil
1 Tbs white wine vinegar
A bottle of dry white wine
The juice of a lemon
A rib of celery, thinly sliced crosswise
A few leaves of sage
2 bay leaves
3 cloves (some people omit these)
Salt
A few more perfect capers, some lemon slices, and sprigs of parsley for garnishing

1. Put the meat in a bowl with the bay leaves, cloves, sage and celery, and pour the wine over it. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours, turning the meat occasionally. The next day place the meat in a Dutch oven. Strain the wine and add it to the meat, then add enough water to cover. Lightly salt the pot and simmer the meat for an hour. In the meantime, wash, scale and bone the anchovies. When the hour is up add them to the pot and continue boiling for another half hour; the liquid should be reduced by half.
2. Hard boil the eggs, run them under cold water, peel them, and extract the yolks (you can discard or fill the whites as you prefer). Rinse, squeeze dry, and mince the capers.
3. When the meat is fork-tender remove it from the pot and strain the broth into a bowl. Transfer the fish filets to a clean strainer and press them through it, together with the tuna and the yolks, into another bowl. Stir in the minced capers, the vinegar, the lemon juice and the olive oil, and then dilute the sauce to your taste with some of the reserved broth.
4. When the veal has cooled slice it finely and lay the slices out on one or more platters (you want just one layer). Spread the sauce over the meat, garnish the platters with the lemon slices, capers and parsley. Cover them with plastic wrap and chill them in the refrigerator before serving.

Servings: 8

Author: Kyle Phillips
Source: About.com

Have a great weekend