Rolled Veal

 In France and more so in Normandy, autumn is the season of "plats mitonnés" (slow cooked dishes) and veal is just perfect for that.  Although, this dish is not much to look at, it is so very tasty!   With it, serve a generous portion of potato or celery root mash and you will be in heaven!   Today, I roasted the meat on a bed of carrot julienne, which brought a very light sweet taste to the meat.

So here is my recipe :

500g/1 lb fillet of veal (or any lean cuts - works with other meats if you prefer)

1 cup of breadcrumbs mixed with some parsley (I whizzed up some day old bread in the blender, added in some parsley at the end and baked in the oven for 10-15 minutes. The texture is coarser and if you use good bread, it goes without saying it will taste more special!)

4 to 6 slices of smoked dried ham

3 shallots, diced

salt and pepper

240 ml/ 1 cup vegetable stock

vegetables to roast on (here I used three carrots)

Slice your meat into about 6 to 8 slices.

Hammer out the meet flat (see photo) with a meat hammer or a rolling pin (use clingfilm if using a rolling pin)

Sprinkle on some of the bread crumbs (keep 1/4 back for the topping), a little of the shallots and finally some of the diced up (or torn up) smoked ham. Roll firmly and secure with a toothpick if needed. Place the meat on the julienne of carrots, sprinkle on the bread crumbs and drizzle with olive oil. Pour in the vegetable stock (a splash of white wine would be also good!)  

Bake for 45 minutes at 170°c/ 325°f if you are using veal fillet 

(bake longer - 1 hour 15+,  if using a tougher cut of meat and if the rolls come out bigger.  You may wish to add some water if it dries out)

Take out of the oven and let stand 10 minutes to rest, cover with foil.

I will be catching on all your blogs over the next week.  Meanwhile, keep well and happy!