Veal
Spring of 2001 was a dreadful time to be a meat-eater in Europe: Thanks to the spread of Mad Cow Disease (BSE) through the use of animal-based feeds, all cattle more than three years old were suspect, and consumers pretty much stopped buying. For a while one could find amazing deals on steaks and roasts in the markets, but they dried up because the slaughterhouses are cut back as well, and the animals are stayed in their barns. This pinched the farmers still further because the animals do have to eat no matter; soon we read about farmers who were fined for starving their herds.
For a while people turned to alternatives, including fish, poultry, pork, and lamb, but the outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease that swept through England caused all the EEU countries to close their borders to just about everything that moves except people (those getting off planes had to walk over disinfectant-soaked pads to clean their shoe soles), and this means home-grown. The prices for poultry-pork-lamb went through the roof, as did those of fish. And in the meantime there was a warning that fishery-raised fish, which now comprise more than 50% of what one finds in markets, are dosed with growth hormones, drugs, and vaccines, many of which are toxic to humans -- in addition to lacking the healthy fatty acids that free-range fish get from ingesting plankton. What else is there?
Veal, perhaps. Since people look at bovines with suspicion it's not as expensive as it used to be, and since the animals are young they've presumably not going to have been exposed to BSE though animal-based feed (a ban on animal-based feed is now in effect, and though it is due to expire at the request of the German Ministry of Agriculture, it remains to be seen if they will go through with lifting the ban).
What exactly is veal?
There's Vitella di Latte, milk fed veal, which is a young calf that's still drinking its mother's milk; in terms of weight a calf weighing up to 180 k (360 pounds) if from a milk breed, and up to 230 k (460 pounds) if from a breed raised for meat. The meat is mild flavored, very tender, and a light colored pale pink, with white fat; darker meat with reddish striations are indicative of an animal that was already beginning to graze and eat other solid foods. Given the fact that industrial cattle farmers have been known to confine calves in boxes where they can't run about to maximize the tenderness of the meat, I'd select a butcher who can get free-range veal.
There's also Vitellone, from an animal that's 18 to 20 months old, and has cut its first two permanent incisors. The meat is deep pink to fairly deep red, firm, and considerably more flavorful than milk-fed veal, though not as flavorful as that from mature animals. In Tuscany many prefer vitellone for grilling.
Finally, there's a special type of vitellone known as sanato in Piemonte: the animals are fed milk and egg whites, which keeps their meat white, until they're a year old.
SOME RECIPES:
Boiled Veal
Vitello in Galantina
A refreshing summer dish that's also elegant enough to serve company.
Vitello Tonnato
A classic summer dish, and an indispensable part of the Ascension Day feast in Milano.
Cima alla Genovese
Breast of veal, stuffed and simmered to perfection. A Ligurian classic.
Sima
The Gibraltarian alternative to Cima, brought by Ligurian sialors who settled there.
Cutlets & Other Quickly Cooked Things
Vitello all'Uccelletto
Ligurian veal scallops, quickly cooked with wine and sage and (often) served with mushrooms.
Bracioline Ripiene
Very tasty and quite traditional Tuscan stuffed veal cutlets.
Bracioline Ripiene alla Siciliana
Zesty Sicilian stuffed veal cutlets -- quick, and perfect for the grill!
Carne alla Pizzaiola
Cutlets stewed in tomato sauce -- had the Neapolitans not invented it, someone else would have had to.
La Cotoletta alla Milanese
A breaded veal cutlet is simple, but can reach great heights.
Artusi's Cotoletta alla Milanese
"Anyone can make a veal cutlet," says Artusi, who proposes a tasty variation.
Artusi's Cotoletta alla Bolognese
A breaded veal cutlet, graced with cheese and truffles.
Cotoletta col Prosciutto
Again a breaded veal cutlet, this time with prosciutto.
La Cotoletta alla Bolognese 2:
What's known as Veal Parmigiana in the English-speaking world: Breaded, with cheese, tomato and prosciutto.
Cutlets with Egg and Lemon Sauce
Another tasty variation on an old favorite.
Costolette Guarnite
Ada Boni's recipe for veal cutlets in a zesty tomato and bell pepper sauce.
Costolette alla Contadina
Veal chops with beans, from Lombardia.
Costolette alla Valdostana
Cutlets filled with cheese, breaded and fried.
Costolette di Vitello coi Peperoni
Zesty cutlets sauteed, then cooked with peppers.
Fesa di Vitello al Limone
Veal scaloppini in lemon sauce, and a variation with white wine too.
Fettine alla Melagrana
Cutlets, on a bed of shallots, delicately flavored with pomegranates.
Involtini Arrostiti
Delightfully refreshing Sicilian grilled involtini.
Involtini di Asparagi
Veal involtini with asparagus tips. Quick & tasty.
Involtini coi Carciofi
A tasty winter recipe, cutlets wrapped around sauteed artichokes.
Involtini di Vitello
A zesty cheese-filled variation that will also work well with chicken or turkey.
Nodini di Vitello ai Peperoni
A tasty recipe for veal chops with a bell pepper sauce.
Piccata di Vitello al Prezzemolo
A Milanese dish made with veal cutlets (or scaloppini) & prosciutto in a zesty lemon-and-parsely sauce.
Polpettine con le Acciughe
These are actually cutlets, wrapped around anchovy filets -- involtini, in short. A Lombard specialty that's quite nice when it's hot.
Portafogli di Vitello Con Porcini
Veal cutlets stuffed with porcini -- fare fit for the Gods.
Veal Francese
The classic recipe developed by Italian restaurateurs in the US in the early 1950s.
Saltimbocca alla Romana
The classic Roman way of making cutlets, with sage and prosciutto.
Veal Saltimbocca
Leonard Bibbo uses veal rib chops for his saltimbooca, and completes them with a tasty wine sauce.
Stews
Vitello alla Provenzale
Delicate veal stew with tomatoes.
Sanato al Latte
Piemontese milk-fed veal in a delicate milk sauce.
Sottofiletto alle Verdure
A Piemontese rump roast with an unusual mustardy sauce.
Stracotto all'Alessandrino
A tasty stew that gains a slightly wild touch from mustard and juniper berries.
Spezzatino con i Peperoni
A rich, tasty veal stew with peppers and onions that will be quite nice on polenta.
Ossibuchi al Sugo
Simple, but oh so tasty veal shanks in meat sauce (this also yields excellent pasta sauce)
Ossibuchi all Milanese
A great dish from the simplest of ingredients.
Tocco di Carne
Rich Ligurian stewed meat in tomato sauce, which goes over the pasta.
Tocco di Carne Stufato
Similar to the above, with the addition of rosemary and other herbs.
Roasts
Vitello Trifolato alla Bolognese
A heavenly, seductive Bolognan roast potatoes and veal with white truffles.
Carne di Juorni di Festa
Feast day meat, a Calabrian recipe for roast veal with tomatoes and herbs.
Vitello allo Spiedo alla Ligure
Basted with lemon juice. Yum!
Vitello Caramellato e Cannellini
An old, and elegant recipe for roast veal seasoned with a deft sweet touch, and served on a bed of beans.
A FEW THINGS FROM THE NET:
Veal Stew in the Style of Ossobuco
An American recipe based on classic ossobuco, but using much leaner shoulder meat, and it all going over mashed potatoes. It does look tasty.
Stuffed Veal Roll with Spinach
A simple, but tasty looking recipe from Tonino, a Sardinian chef
Veal With Paprika
A sort of goulash, from Tonino, a Sardinian chef.
Got more sites / recipes to suggest? Let me know.
A Presto,
Kyle Phillips
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