Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Veal Roast with Morels, Garlic, Shallots and Sweet Wine

It was Mother's Day last Sunday which meant, not only was I cooking, but CrabCake2 and I were also cleaning up.  Normally that type of arrangement has me making reservations for dinner, but I hate going out on the "big" holidays, so I retreated to my nook in the coral and tried to find something to make that was tasty and not too messy.

SSSal, besides loving leg of lamb, has always had a fascination with veal roast. The only problem is that veal roasts are ludicrously difficult to come by.  Scaloppine? Easy. Chops? No problem.  Roast? Ah, well, you see we get the other stuff already processed.  You know, we just thaw and display.

I know, go to a good butcher.  Well the truth is, my butcher(S), seem to carry the toughest veal in existence. Their meat doesn't come from a calf, but from something with bronto- or tyranno- in the name. But for Mother's Day I decided to try one more time.

There is a relatively new market in town and I've been cultivating a relationship with both the fishmonger and the butcher.  I put the butcher to the test.  


"I'd like a veal roast please."

"Sure, something from the knuckle?"

"The knuckle? Veals have knuckles?"

"Ahhh, no.  It's what we call the rump. It's what I use to make scaloppine."

"Oh! Scaloppine, that sounds expensive?"

"Not too bad, $9.99 a pound. How much would you like?"

"Err, 2 1/2 to 3 pounds please."


Success, crablings! I got a beautiful cut of meat that was tender and tasty.  I decided that since the cut was from the rump, that I'd go for a low and slow approach to cooking.  What follows is a recipe that is essentially Veal Marsala Pot Roast.  Enjoy... 



Veal Roast with Morels, Garlic, Shallots and Sweet Wine
by Crabby

1 3-pound veal rump roast
1 TBSP Herb de Provence
1 TBSP freshly ground black pepper
1 TBSP kosher salt
3 TBSP olive oil, divided

2 TBSP unsalted butter
1 cup dried morel mushrooms
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 large shallots, finely chopped
1 half-bottle (375ML) dessert wine (such as Vin Santo, Late Harvest Muscat or Marsala)

1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)

One hour prior to cooking, reconstitute the morels in 1 cup of boiling water.  Allow to soak for 60 minutes.  

While the morels are soaking, combine the Herbs de Provence, pepper and salt in a small bowl. Lightly crush the mixture with your fingertips. 

Rub the veal roast with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, cover the roast with the herb mixture and massage into the meat.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Remove morels from soaking liquid and dry with paper towels.  Pass the soaking liquid through a paper coffee filter to remove any grit and set aside the liquor. 

In a dutch oven/heavy roasting pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.  When hot but not smoking add the veal roast and brown on all sides. This step should take approximately 10 minutes.  

Remove the roast from the pan.  Add the 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter.  When melted add the shallots, garlic and morels.  Saute until the shallots have wilted, about 3 minutes.  

Add the sweet wine and reserved mushroom liquor.  Bring to a boil and scrape the bottom of the pan, loosening any brown bits from the base.  Boil for three minutes.

Return the roast to the pan, nestling it in amongst the vegetables.  Place in the oven and roast for 60 minutes, (Hint: turn the roast after 30 minutes of braising), or until it reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees.

After 60 minutes, remove the roast from the pan and allow to rest loosely tented with aluminum foil for 15 minutes.

While the roast is resting, take a stick blender and roughly process the sauce, (I like to leave the morels slightly chunky).  Check the sauce for seasoning, if you find it too earthy or tart, add the 1/4 cup of heavy cream.  Boil for 10 minutes while the roast rests.

Slice the roast and serve with the sauce.



Voila!  Mother's Day Dinner.  This meal was a big hit with the two moms in the house.  I served it with a nice Red Burgundy (Pinot Noir) though I hope Wine wizard Bob will post a couple of other ideas.

OK crablings, we made it through another Mother's Day. The next few holidays are strictly grilling affairs, so get the BBQs ready.  Until next time, remember, you can do it, you can cook.

1 comment:

WineWizardBob said...

Yaaay! Finally,something that is not only good with wine, but fantastic!

Pick your favorite red or white or rose or bubbly with this dish! Yup, you don't need me. This dish is just about as wine friendly as they come. Match the weather, or the tablecloth, even Auntie Erika's favorite fuzzy sweater, any wine will be fine.

If this was at my house, I would serve a 2007 Barbera from the Piedmont, Italy with this dish.

If Crabby was coming over AND doing the cooking, I would serve Nino Negri 5 Star Sfursat! Wicked expensive, wicked awesome.