Ingredients
Veal leg
Other Names: Whole: Coscia (Italian), cuisseau (French), hind saddle, pierna (Spanish). Cutlets and Steaks: Escalope de veau (French), leg cutlet, scallops, scaloppine (Italian), sirloin chop, sirloin steak, Wiener Schnitzel (German and Austrian). Roasts: Eye of round roast, leg center cut, leg roast, pointe de surlonge (French, sirloin tip or knuckle), round roast, rump roast, sirloin roast, talon de ronde (French, heel), top round roast.
General Description: The choice meat of the veal leg is flavorful, tender, and lean and much used by Italian butchers to make thin cutlets. A whole veal leg includes the sirloin butt, or hip section, the butt tenderloin, the knuckle, or sirloin tip, the top or inside round, the bottom or outside round, and the hind shank. A bone-in veal sirloin roast is rare; more common is a boned, rolled, and tied sirloin roast. A sirloin chop is a lean steak cut from the sirloin. Most often the sirloin is sold as part of the whole leg or sliced into cutlets. Veal steak is either sirloin steak or round steak cut from the top or bottom round muscles in the leg.
A center-cut leg contains only the small round leg bone and is easy to carve or use for cutlets. The tougher but flavorful shank half roast is the lower leg minus the hind shank. The knuckle is a moderately tender, lean cut from the upper portion of the leg adjoining the sirloin. The single largest leg muscle is in the top round, sought after for scaloppine and roasting. The bottom round contains the regularly shaped boneless eye of round, which is lean and can be tough, the moderately tender flat, and the tougher, smaller muscles of the heel.
Veal is often cut into thin cutlets called scaloppine or medallions. Though scaloppine may come from the loin and other parts of the calf, those cut from the leg will be largest in diameter and least expensive. They are pounded thin with a meat mallet; either flat or serrated scaloppine can be ordered.
Part of Animal: The rear leg of the calf, including the sirloin butt, the butt tenderloin, the knuckle, the top round, the bottom round, and the hindshank.
Characteristics: Veal leg is generally lean and tender, though it is made up of different muscles with different characteristics. The shank end, especially the heel and eye portion, will be tougher than the hip end.
How to Choose: Look for firm, brightly colored leg meat.
Amount to Buy: A whole special-fed veal leg weighs 20 to 40 pounds. A whole trimmed special-fed top round weighs 3 to 8 pounds. Allow 4 to 6 ounces for veal scaloppine; 6 to 8 ounces for boneless veal roast; and 8 to 12 ounces for bone-in veal roast per person.
Storage: Refrigerate veal leg roasts up to 4 days; veal scaloppine up to 2 days.
Preparation: Scaloppine:
- Purchase veal cutlets (or scaloppine). Place one cutlet inside a plastic zip-top bag and pound with a mallet to thin further. Repeat with remaining cutlets.
- Season with salt and pepper and dredge lightly in flour. Sauté in hot oil, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove from the pan as they brown.
- Pour off excess oil and add chopped shallots, white wine, lemon juice and zest, parsley, and capers. Scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Reduce the liquid till syrupy and pour over the veal.
Braised Leg of Veal:
- Trim a 3- to 4-pound veal rump roast, sirloin roast, sirloin tip (or knuckle), or round roast.
- Combine desired seasonings and rub all over the meat, allowing it to absorb the seasonings for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature.
In a Dutch oven, brown the meat well in oil on all sides over medium-high heat. Pour off excess fat from the pan. Return the pan to the heat and add a small amount of liquid to deglaze. - Add chopped aromatic vegetables to the pot. Cover and bake 2 to 3 hours at 300°F, adding liquid as needed to keep moist and partially covered, or until the meat is fork tender.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool somewhat in the cooking liquid before removing, slicing, and serving with some of the strained cooking juices.
Flavor Affinities: Bacon, capers, cream, fontina cheese, lemons, mushrooms, pancetta, parsley, prosciutto, shallots, sour cream, tomatoes, white vermouth, white wine.
from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com
