This method of roasting veal is inspired by reading the Italian cook Anna del Conte’s Amaretto, Apple Cake and Artichokes.
Serve with pommes Anna and broad beans with braised celery; or even better with new potato crisps and a warm salad of rocket/watercress, fried mushrooms and fried celery..
Veal Roasted on a Bed of Herbs with a Blanket of Lemon and Cream
Serves – 6
Ingredients
- 5 kg/ 3 lbs 4 oz sirloin of veal – buy the best and get your butcher to roll and truss with string. Specify British pink veal
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- A few sage leaves
- 25g/1 oz/small bunch of flat-leaved parsley
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- Some celery leaves
- 1 fat clove of garlic, crushed with 1 tsp smoked salt
- Generous grinds of Indonesian long pepper and more smoked salt
- Two large lemons
- 100g/3 oz/two-fifths of a brick of butter
- 300 ml/½ pint/1¼ cups double cream
Instructions
- Season the veal (massaging the salt and pepper all over it), and put it in a smallish bowl just begin enough for it. Zest one lemon, and squeeze the juice over the veal, cover with cling film and leave to marinate for a couple of hours. Save the zest.
- Preheat the oven to 150°C (use the aga simmering oven) and take the cream out of the fridge.
- Warm your plates as well as an oval serving platter
- Chop the herbs and the celery leaves and put in an oval hob and oven proof casserole with a lid which is just big enough to hold the joint. Add the butter and garlic and fry gently for two or three minutes.
- Add the veal to the casserole and brown lightly on all surfaces.
- Zest the second lemon, then, using a serrated tomato knife, peel the lemon to cut off all the skin and pith. Cut thinly.
- Take the veal out and put the thin slices to lemon onto the bed of herbs at the bottom of the casserole. Put the joint back on top.
- Pour the cream over, put the lid on – but slightly to the side so that some of the juices can evaporate, and cook in the oven for about two hours. The juices should look thick and rich – if they don’t take the veal out and put it on a carving board, cover with foil. Put the casserole on the hob on a higher heat and reduce.
- Slice the veal thinly, arrange on the serving platter and spoon over the gooey, creamy sauce.