Wanda Dorothys Veal Stuffing Recipes

STUFFED AND ROASTED BONE-IN VEAL BREAST

Steps:

• Cut a pocket in veal breast, or ask your butcher to do it for you. Season pocket with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Set aside veal to reach room temperature.
• In a skillet melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery and saute until onion is tender and golden. In a bowl combine bread and eggs; add onion mixture, parsley and 1 cup of the chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper; mix well. Stuffing should be fairly wet; add a little more chicken stock if needed.
• Using a long spoon, reach deep inside veal pocket to distribute stuffing evenly. Use a trussing needle and string to sew up pocket. Season roast on all sides with salt and pepper and liberally sprinkle top with paprika. Place in roasting pan, top side up, and roast 3 1/2 hours in all. Baste top with 1/2 cup chicken stock every 45 minutes.
• Remove roast to a carving board and let sit, loosely covered, 15 minutes while you prepare sauce. Set roasting pan over medium-high heat and add remaining 3 cups chicken stock. Deglaze pan, scraping up browned bits and incorporating them into stock. Boil until stock reduces to 1 1/2 cups. If desired, thicken sauce with arrowroot or butter, or leave as is. Cut center portion of veal breast along chine bone separations into 6 servings. Spoon gravy over each portion.

WANDA & DOROTHY'S VEAL STUFFING

Steps:

• Use rolling pin or other utensil or method to make milk crackers into crumbs.
• Melt butter in frying pan. Add chopped onions to melted butter over very low heat. Cook onions until soft and clear, but not brown.
• In bowl, mix uncooked ground veal, cracker crumbs and eggs.
• Add melted butter and cooked onions to mixture in bowl. Add poultry seasoning or italian seasoning, as much as desired. Mix everything together well in bowl.
• This will stuff a 16-18 pound turkey. The ground veal cooks in the turkey. I don't have enough leftover stuffing to cook outside of the turkey, but if there is, use a meat thermometer to thoroughly cook the veal.

BRAISED VEAL BREAST WITH POTATO-AND-ONION STUFFING

Steps:

• Make stuffing:
• Cover potatoes with salted cold water by 1 inch in a 4-quart pot, then briskly simmer, uncovered, over moderate heat until just tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
• While potatoes simmer, cook onion in oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Drain potatoes in a colander and, when cool enough to handle, peel, then thinly slice. Add potatoes, salt, and pepper to onion and coarsely mash with a fork. Cool to warm and stir in egg and dill until combined. Cool completely, uncovered.
• Stuff and braise veal:
• Cut a 7- by 5-inch pocket in center of meat parallel to bone, leaving a 1/2-inch border of meat all around. Loosely fill pocket with potato stuffing and sew pocket closed on cut side with needle and kitchen string (and sew any tears).
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pat veal dry and rub all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a wide 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then brown veal, meat side down, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn veal over and add wine. Boil, uncovered, until wine is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add broth and bay leaves and return to a boil. Cover pot tightly with lid and transfer to oven, then braise until meat is very tender, about 2 hours.
• Make sauce and slice veal:
• Transfer veal to a cutting board using a large wide metal spatula and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 15 minutes.
• Discard bay leaves and skim off fat from pan juices. Bring pan juices to a boil. Whisk together cream and cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk into pan juices. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. If desired, pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl (discard solids). Stir in dill, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Discard kitchen string from veal and cut meat from bones by holding knife against bone as you cut. Transfer stuffed meat to a cutting board and slice lengthwise 1 inch thick. Cut between ribs to separate. Serve veal slices and ribs with sauce.

PROVENçAL ROASTED GARLIC-BRAISED BREAST OF VEAL WITH SPRINGTIME STUFFING

Steps:

• Prepare the stuffing:
• Bring a large pot full of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the chard and spinach, bring the water back to a boil, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until thoroughly wilted. Drain and squeeze out as much moisture as possible, pressing the greens against a colander with a wooden spoon. Or for a more thorough job, use your hands when the greens have cooled somewhat. Finely chop, either by hand or by pulsing in a food processor.
• In a large skillet, sauté the minced garlic in 3 tablespoons of the oil over moderate heat until pale gold, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chard and spinach. Cook, stirring, over medium heat, until the liquid is evaporated and the garlic is thoroughly distributed, 5 to 7 minutes. The greens should be very tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Sauté the onion in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat in 3 tablespoons of the oil until softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with the onions. In another saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer. Add the broth to the rice a few spoonfuls at a time, as if making risotto. Keep the heat medium-low, and stir, waiting until the broth is nearly absorbed before adding another spoonful. Cook the rice until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes in all. If you finish adding the broth and the rice is not yet tender, add a tablespoon or two of hot water, as needed. Season the rice with salt and pepper (taking in to account the saltiness of the broth you are using), add it to the chard and spinach, and set aside to cool.
• Prepare the garlic head:
• Break the head into single cloves and put them, unpeeled, into a small baking dish in which they fit snugly (I use a 5-inch-square porcelain ramekin). Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the oil and 1 teaspoon of the thyme. Cover tightly (use foil if you don't have a lid), and roast for 30 to 45 minutes, until a soft puree is formed when you squeeze a clove. Avoid overcooking, which turns the garlic bitter. Squeeze the puree out by hand or run the unpeeled cloves through a food mill to trap the peels. Put the roasted garlic puree in a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the rosemary and the lemon juice. Stir well and set aside. Turn off the oven-you will be pan-braising the meat.
• While the garlic is roasting, finish the stuffing:
• In a food processor, pulse the remaining 1 tablespoon each of rosemary and thyme, the parsley, mint, and lemon zest until finely chopped. Add to the rice mixture. Stir in the egg until well combined.
• Trim the veal of gristle and as much fat as possible. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over, including the inside pocket. Fill the pocket with the stuffing, pushing the mixture as far in as possible, but don't overfill-it will expand somewhat while cooking. Sew the pocket closed. (A large embroidery needle and strong cotton thread or unwaxed dental floss work very well here. Or use a trussing needle and kitchen twine. I find skewering not as successful here-the stuffing is more likely to ooze out into the pan gravy.)
• In a 6-quart Dutch oven or heavy casserole just large enough to accommodate the veal, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil until hot, but not smoking. Add the veal and brown it slowly on all sides, turning carefully with wooden spoons so you don't piece the meat. When it is thoroughly browned, arrange the meat so that the fat side is up. Spread the roasted garlic mixtue all over the top. Add the wine and bring to a slow bubble. Place the lid slightly askew, and braise at a slow simmer over very low heat for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or longer, if necessary, until the meat is very tender. Use a flame tamer (blech) or stack two stove burner grates , if you must to keep the flame very low. Every 20 minutes or so, baste with the pan juices. If possible, turn the meat a few times; don't worry about losing the roasted garlic coating on top-it will add delicious flavor to the cooking juices.
• Transfer the veal to a platter, and let it stand for 10 minutes, tented with foil to keep warm. Boil up the cooking juices for a few minutes to concentrate the flavors, taste for seasoning, then transfer to a sauce boat.
• Slice the veal about 1/2-inch thick, making sure that the slices enclose some of the filling. Nap with some of the juices. Pass remaining sauce separately.
• Ashkenazi Mashed Potato Stuffing Variation:
• Don't pass by this fabulous veal because your family refrains from eating rice on Passover. When my agent Elise Goodman wanted to prepare it for her seder, we came up with a wonderful alternative mashed potato stuffing.
• Prepare the stuffing according to the directions above, omitting rice and broth. Sauté the onion until rice gold and set aside. Simmer 3 1/2 cups russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed, in cold, salted water to cover, until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash the potatoes until smooth. Stir in the reserved sautéed onion (along with any oil remaining in the pan), and 1 additional tablespoon olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the potato mixture to the chard and spinach, set aside to cool, and continue with the recipe.

GRILLED VEAL CHOPS WITH CHESTNUT STUFFING AND PICKLED GOLDEN RAISINS

Steps:

• Season the veal chops with the rosemary, thyme, garlic, and olive oil. Cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
• Light the grill 30 to 40 minutes before cooking, and remove the veal chops from the refrigerator to come to room temperature.
• When the coals are broken down, red, and glowing, season both sides of the veal chops generously with fleur de sel and cracked black pepper. Place the chops on the grill, and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, rotating once or twice, to sear nicely. Cook until medium-rare to medium-you can peek inside at the bone to check that the meat is still a little pink.
• Scatter the arugula leaves over a large platter. Place the chops on top, and spoon the golden raisins over. Pass the stuffing at the table.
• Brian's Pickled Golden Raisins
• Place the mustard seeds in a small pan over medium heat, and toast a few minutes, shaking the pan often, until the seeds just start to pop.
• Combine the mustard seeds with 1 cup water and the rest of the ingredients in a small nonaluminum pot. Bring to a boil, and turn the heat down to a low simmer. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half. Let the raisins cool, and store them in the liquid in the refrigerator.
• Chestnut Stuffing
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Cut the crust off the bread and tear the remaining loaf into 1-inch pieces. Using your hands, toss with 6 tablespoons olive oil, squeezing the bread with your hands to help it absorb the olive oil. Toast on a baking sheet 12 to 15 minutes, tossing often, until the croutons are golden brown and crispy on the outside but still a little soft and tender inside. When the croutons have cooled, place them in a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, toast the fennel seeds in a small pan over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan often, until the seeds release their aroma and turn a light golden brown. Coarsely grind the seeds with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
• Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the pancetta. Sauté 1 to 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat down to medium, add the rosemary sprig and the chile, and let them sizzle in the pan a minute. Add the onion, fennel, fennel seeds, and thyme. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grindings of pepper. Sauté about 8 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly caramelized. Stir in the lemon zest, and add the entire mixture to the croutons.
• Return the pan to high heat and pour in the white wine. Bring the wine to a boil, and reduce by three-quarters. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Pour the hot liquid over the croutons and vegetables, and toss well to combine.
• Wipe the pan out with paper towels, and return it to the stove over medium heat. Swirl in 2 tablespoons butter, and when it foams, add the chestnuts. Sauté 4 to 5 minutes, until the chestnuts are golden and sizzling in the butter. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and add to the stuffing. Stir to combine, and taste for seasoning. Add the egg and parsley. Toss well, and put the stuffing in a ceramic baking dish or casserole. Cover with foil, and bake 40 minutes. Remove the foil, and top the stuffing with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes. Return the stuffing to the oven, and cook about 20 minutes, until crispy on top.
• Note
• You can bake the stuffing the day before. Reheat covered with aluminum foil, and then uncover and top with little pats of butter. Return to the oven, and bake until nice and crispy on top. The pickled raisins can be made long in advance.
• The notion of roasting chestnuts over an open fire is picturesque and romantic, but in reality it's a tedious and very time-consuming chore to peel them once they're roasted. Instead, I use steamed chestnuts sold in a jar, available at quality supermarkets and gourmet shops.

VEAL OR TURKEY ROULADES WITH DRIED APRICOT ROSEMARY STUFFING AND APRICOT MUSTARD SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Toast bread with salt and pepper to taste in a shallow baking pan, shaking pan occasionally, 10 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Transfer bread to a large bowl and keep oven at 350°F.
• In a 10-inch non-stick skillet cook onion, celery, and rosemary in butter over moderate heat 5 minutes, or until onion is softened. Stir in apricots and 1/4 cup broth and cook until almost all liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add mixture to bread with salt and pepper to taste and toss until combined well. Let stuffing cool. Stuffing may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• In a measuring cup whisk together apricot nectar, mustard, and remaining cup broth and reserve.
• Gently pound cutlets, 1 at a time, between 2 sheets of plastic wrap until about 1/4 inch thick, trying not to make any holes in them. Discard plastic wrap and season cutlets with salt and pepper. Spoon stuffing down a long side of each cutlet, leaving a 1/2-inch border along edge. Roll up cutlets tightly to enclose stuffing and secure top seams, openings at both ends, and any holes with wooden toothpicks.
• Put cornmeal with salt and pepper to taste in a shallow bowl and coat roulades evenly in mixture. In cleaned skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and brown roulades 3 minutes. Arrange roulades in one layer in an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Deglaze skillet with wine over moderate heat, scraping up any brown bits, and add to baking dish. Pour reserved nectar mixture around (not over) roulades in baking dish. Cover dish tightly with foil and braise roulades in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until just cooked through. Transfer roulades with tongs to a cutting board and carefully remove wooden picks.
• Transfer liquid in baking dish to a small saucepan and boil until reduced to about 1 cup. Remove pan from heat and whisk in arrowroot and salt and pepper to taste.
• Cut roulades diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices and spoon sauce over top.

STUFFED ROAST VEAL BREAST

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix together the stuffing ingredients.
• Put the veal breast meat side up on a flat surface. Using a sharp, thin knife, slice along the widest side of the breast, as close to the bones as possible, to create a deep pocket. Push the stuffing into the cavity and press on it to distribute it evenly over the bones. Tie the open end shut with soft kitchen string, wrapping it twice to secure the stuffing inside.
• Heat the olive oil in a large casserole. Sprinkle the meat all over with salt, and when the oil is hot, brown the meat for a total of 30 minutes over medium heat, turning occasionally so it is uniformly brown. Add the sliced onion and water; cover, reduce heat to very low and cook 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the meat to a platter. In the remaining juices (about 1 1/2 cups), arrange the potatoes in one layer. Put the roast on top, meat side up, and cook, uncovered, in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the meat is nicely browned on top and the potatoes are cooked through.
• At this point, the roast is cooked enough so the ribs can be twisted and pulled away from the meat. Slice the meat, following the shape of the ribs and slicing right through the cartilage bones. Serve each person one slice with potatoes and pan juices.

SAUTEED STUFFED VEAL BIRDS

Steps:

• Cut scaloppines in half diagonally so you have 12 pieces.
• To prepare filling, toss together all ingredients except 3 tablespoons olive oil, wine, butter and lemon juice.
• Place generous teaspoonful of stuffing on wide end of each scaloppine and roll tightly, securing with toothpick or kitchen thread.
• Heat 3 tablespoons oil and 3 tablespoons butter in 10-inch frying pan and when bubbling subsides, brown veal birds on all sides slowly. Add 1 cup wine and 1/2 cup stock. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes; check to see if more moisture is needed in pan, in which case add water or stock.
• Remove veal to heated platter. Skim fat from pan juices. Add remaining butter and about 1 tablespoon lemon juice to pan and bring to boil over high heat, stirring in coagulated meat juices. Pour over veal and serve with steamed rice.

PROVENçAL VEAL BREAST STUFFED WITH SWISS CHARD

Steps:

• Make the filling: In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onions, season with salt and pepper and sauté until softened. Mix in the chopped garlic, thyme and rosemary. A few handfuls at a time, stir in the chard and, using tongs to toss, cook with the onion mixture until all the greens are soft, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon to transfer chard mixture to a large bowl. Stir in tomatoes, egg and matzo pieces, mixing well. You will have at least 5 cups cooked filling.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lay the meat flat on a clean work surface, season the top with salt and pepper and spread a thin layer of the filling (about half) evenly over the surface of the meat, leaving a 1-inch border. Reserve and refrigerate the remaining stuffing. Tightly roll the meat and secure it with kitchen twine, making a knot every 1 1/2 inches and tucking the meat in to enclose the ends. Season the outside of the roll with salt and pepper.
• Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet, turn the heat to medium-high and brown the stuffed veal on all sides. Transfer to a large roasting pan with a lid. (If your skillet isn't large enough, brown veal directly in the roasting pan, laid over 2 burners of your stovetop.) To the pan where you browned the meat, add wine and simmer for about a minute, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Spoon liquid over the meat. Scatter the carrots, large onion pieces and whole garlic cloves around the veal, place the bones, and pour in about 8 cups of water or enough to come halfway up the meat.
• Reduce oven to 325 degrees and cook, covered, 2 1/2 hours, basting every 20 minutes or so, until veal is cooked through and tender, 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.
• Remove the meat from the pan, set aside to cool, then refrigerate overnight. Strain the sauce, reserving the carrots and discarding the bones and the onions. Refrigerate sauce and carrots.
• The next day (or when ready to serve), remove and discard the fat from the sauce and simmer sauce in a small pot until reduced by 1/3. Season with salt and pepper. Using a long sharp knife, slice the veal into 1-inch portions. (Pull out kitchen twine as necessary). Carefully transfer slices to a large ovenproof serving dish or roasting pan, scatter the reserved stuffing around the veal and pour the braising liquid and carrots over the top. (You can refrigerate the whole dish at this point, to be reheated just before serving, or proceed to reheat the meat now.)
• Just before serving, reheat in a 350-degree oven, covered with foil, about 20 minutes or until heated through. Serve in individual portions or on a platter, with a little chard stuffing and carrots on top of each slice for color, and drizzled with some of the braising liquid.

STUFFED BREAST OF VEAL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the carrot, celery, and onion; cook and stir until the carrot begins to soften, 5 to 10 minutes. Turn the heat off, and stir in the garlic and parsley; set aside.
• Beat the eggs and water with salt and pepper in a large bowl. Fold in the bread cubes until they absorb the egg mixture, then fold in the cooked vegetables; set aside. Cut a deep pocket into the veal breast with a long, narrow knife. Stuff the veal with the bread and vegetable mixture, and season with paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place onto a roasting pan, and cover loosely with aluminum foil.
• Bake in preheated oven for 3 1/2 hours, then remove the foil, baste with pan drippings, and continue cooking 30 minutes more. When done, tent with aluminum foil, and allow the veal breast to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.