Veal Roast
6 slices bacon, fat reduced but not eliminated
roast of veal
several sprigs of rosemary
a little lemon juice
a little butter
salt
black pepper
1
Heat the oven to 200°C. Lay half the bacon on the base of the pan and heat until sizzling. Put the veal on top of the cooking bacon, and place the rest of the bacon on top of the veal. Squeeze the sprigs of rosemary all about, between veal and veal, veal and bacon, and put the lot into the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes. Check its progress after half an hour. It’s likely you’ll need more cooking. Veal should be cooked all the way through. Pink veal is quite chewy, and lacks the tenderness of rare beef. It should be white, with a slight touch of pink to the eye. The edges of the veal touching the pan should be well browned.
2
Remove and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes while you get ready whatever you need to accompany the veal. Nothing better than mashed potatoes, and steamed spinach strewn with a little raw garlic, lemon zest and a tiny touch of chilli.
3
Slice the veal, and dribble a little lemon juice and melted butter over the top. Finish with a little salt and a few grind- ings of black pepper.
Try a veal roast in a mix of roasting and stewing, and let it create its own sauce. In a dish to go into the oven, cook a few cloves of garlic and a handful of onion, until softened. Deglaze with two cups of port mixed with red wine, and add a dozen peeled and chopped mushrooms and stir about.
Add the veal, and continue to cook on top of the stove for a couple of minutes. Roast in the oven at 200°C for 45-50 minutes, turning the veal several times in the cooking process, thus basting it with the sauce as you go. Watch to be sure the liquid does not evaporate. The veal needs to be cooked all through, and should give a little when pressed with a finger. Remove, and leave in a warm place. Serve with the sauce all about.
NOTE: You can remove the veal and bacon to a warm plate and deglaze the pan with white wine, scraping up any sediments. Finish with a swirl of just cold butter, a little lemon juice, a little salt and black pepper, and a touch of chopped tarragon or parsley. Pour over the veal.
WINE: I cooked a dish like this just before I read this recipe. I got all excited and pulled out an expensive bottle of French burgundy (pinot noir) to have with it. The wine was terrible – the veal just perfect. Maybe I should have stuck with a good Yarra Valley pinot!