Ingredients
Veal shoulder
Other Names: Arm roast, blade roast and steak, boneless shoulder roast and steak, chuck tender, épaule (French), espaldilla, paletilla, or planchuela (Spanish), round bone steak, shoulder clod, spalla (Italian), square-cut shoulder, veal stew.
General Description: Veal shoulder (NAMP 309-311) makes excellent roasts with full, rich flavor and tender, fall-off-the-bone meat. Reasonably priced, the shoulder is often the least expensive boneless veal cut. The adaptable mild flavor of veal is complemented by a whole range of mellow flavors, and its high proportion of gelatinous collagen makes for rich, full-bodied gravy. The large veal shoulder is often cut into smaller roasts and steaks.
Veal arm roast includes the arm bone and some of the ribs and may be cut into arm steaks–these are a good substitute for osso buco. Arm steak resembles round steak from the hind leg because both contain round bones, but arm steak is tougher and not as lean.
The economical veal blade roast includes the blade bone and a fair amount of connective tissue. If boned, it can be stuffed. You may also find veal blade steaks. Veal cubes (NAMP 395) for stew are cut from any portion of the calf except the shank. Veal cubes for kabobs (NAMP 395A) are more regular in shape and better trimmed. The small, relatively tough veal chuck tender may be sold separately.
Part of Animal: Veal shoulder lies forward of the rib section and above the belly and foreshank. It includes ribs 1 through 4, the shoulder blade section, and the upper portion of the arm (front leg).
Characteristics: Veal shoulder is rather fatty and contains a fair number of bones, and most of its muscles are tough.
How to Choose: A boneless veal shoulder is an entire boned, rolled, and tied shoulder. Choose a compact, well-trimmed blade roast or arm roast. Ask the butcher to cut the arm into 1 1/2- to 2-inch sections to use as osso buco. For veal stew, ask the butcher to cut meat from the shoulder into 2-inch cubes.
Amount to Buy: Allow 12 ounces for bone-in veal roast; 8 ounces for boneless rib-eye.
Storage: Store whole veal roasts up to 3 days refrigerated; store veal steaks or cutlets 1 to 2 days refrigerated. A whole chuck weighs 18 to 25 pounds; a boneless shoulder clod weighs 1 1/2 pounds.
Preparation: If using arm roast for osso buco, follow the instructions for veal shank.
If using veal shoulder for braising, follow the instructions for veal leg.
Flavor Affinities: Apples, cream, coriander, currants, dill, garlic, leeks, lemons, mushrooms, nutmeg, prosciutto, sage, thyme.
from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com
