braised breast of veal....at kitchen! kitchen!



Braised Breast Of Veal
Braised with sparkling Shiraz wine and stuffed  with
manchego cheese and french brie.
It's comfort food...to indulge in even in the summer!




Breast of veal is the most ignored and least expensive of the veal cuts. But don't let it fool you, because it is one of the most suculent meat to indulge yourself in and worth forgetting your diet for a bit! It could be the tenderest and tastiest, if you treat it right. You could also order a breast of veal deboned from your butcher.They will tie it for you for easier brasing. But why bother with the extra expense? I braised my breast of veal with bones and all. It is so decadent and almost sinful!

1 Pkg. of breast of veal
baby carrots
celery stalks - cut up in large piece
*mushrooms would be lovely to add to this - but I was out of mushrooms -nada*
sprigs of thyme  - optional
sprigs of rosemary - optional
1 medium onion quartered
4 cloves garlic - cut in half
Kosher salt/Black pepper to season the meat well and all over
1 tablspoon amazing dry rub to sprinkle on top of the meat
2-3 cups of Sparkling Shiraz - or champagne; or Reisling
3 oz. of brie cut in cubes
2 oz. of manchego cheese cut in cubes
2 tablespoons of tomato paste

Trim off some of the fat and remove the ligaments from the meat (as much as you can or as little as you can -let your mood dictate).  The meat has a little pocket between the ribs and the top part of the meat- insert some onions and garlic inside -season the inside of the pocket too.
Season well and heat a large cast iron pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Brown all sides about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove the meat and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste; mixing and stirring the pan for those bits and pieces left after the browning. Add 2 tablespoons of butter (optional), Pour the 2-3 cups of sparkling shiraz and return the meat to the pan and let simmer to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Pour some of the liquid from the pan over the meat. Add the baby carrots, rest of the onions; garlic, celery, and herbs. Let simmer and cover with aluminum foil and braise in the oven at 325F for 3-1/2 hrs. After 3 hrs. take the pan out, uncover it and stuff the 2 cheeses pushing slowly with a spoon into the pocket of the veal (be careful because the meat will be very hot). Put the cover back and continue braising  for another half hour or until the cheese starts to ooze out of the pocket. 

Serve with boiled baby potatoes, some green salad, and a glass of the leftover sparkling shiraz of course!

* to my readers in places where braising means using up a lot of electricity or gas or your are in a rush, I suggest that you cook the meat first in a pressure cooker to make the meat fork tender before doing all the steps described. Then you may only braise the meat in the oven for an hour or or less.*