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Veal Roll
2 1/2 lbs. veal cutlet, half inch thick 1 lb. veal twice ground 1/2 lb. sausage meat 1 cup bread crumbs 1/2 cup cream sauce 1 small onion, grated 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 eggs, beaten stiff 2 tablespoons shortening 6 medium carrots 6 small onions 1/2 cup cold water Make a filling of the ground veal, sausage, crumbs, cream sauce, onion, seasonings and eggs. Mix well and spread on the veal cutlet. Roll up and tie with string, season and put in a pan and spread shortening over (bacon fat will do), surrounding with peeled whole onions, and scraped carrots. Roast in hot oven until browned, add water, baste, cover pan closely and return to oven until tender (about half an hour). Serves 8 to 10.
A stuffed, rolled roast of the kind that once turned a thin veal cutlet into a company dinner. The one thing to get right is the cooking time: the timings given here will not bring a four-pound stuffed roll to a safe interior.
- Cooking time is understatedA roll weighing about 4 lb, filled with raw ground veal and sausage, needs roughly 1 1/2 to 2 hours covered at 325F, not the half hour the recipe implies. Cook until the center of the filling reads 160F on an instant-read thermometer.
- "Hot oven"The recipe gives no figure; period usage puts a hot oven somewhere around 400-450F. Brown uncovered for 15-20 minutes, then drop to about 325F once the water goes in and the pan is covered.
- Cream sauceA white sauce made with butter, flour and 1/2 cup milk or cream; use 2 tablespoons each of butter and flour to that 1/2 cup if you want it thick enough to hold its shape. It is there to bind the crumbs, so make it stiff rather than pourable.
- "3 eggs, beaten stiff"Whole eggs will not beat stiff; read this as beaten until thick and frothy. Three whole eggs plus a cup of crumbs makes a soft filling, easier to spread if chilled for 20 minutes first.
- The cutletAsk for a veal round or leg steak cut in one wide 1/2-inch sheet, or butterfly and pound two smaller pieces to overlap. Pounding to about 3/8 inch makes it roll without cracking.
- TyingButcher's twine at 1 1/2-inch intervals, plus one loop lengthwise. Roll with the grain running along the length so the finished slices hold together.
- ShorteningUnqualified 'shortening' at this date could mean hydrogenated vegetable shortening or lard; bacon fat, as the recipe allows, or butter mixed with oil all work. Two tablespoons over a roast this size is a thin film, so baste at least twice.
- VegetablesWhole small onions and whole carrots will take the full covered cooking time and come out very soft. Add them after browning if you want them intact.
- Yield and servingEight to ten servings is accurate. Rest the roll 15 minutes before cutting the strings, then slice about 3/4 inch thick; the pan liquid, skimmed, is the sauce.