VEAL BREAST WITH SPINACH STUFFING

Veal Breast With Spinach Stuffing image

Provided by Craig Claiborne And Pierre Franey

Time 2h30m

Yield Six to eight servings

Number Of Ingredients 27

Ingredients

1 five-pound breast of veal with pocket for stuffing
Salt, if desired
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1 cup finely chopped or diced mushrooms
4 cups loosely packed, coarsely chopped, cleaned spinach
1/2 cup fine, fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
1 tablespoon corn oil
3/4 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
3 sprigs parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 cup canned imported tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
1 clove garlic, unpeeled
1 cup chicken broth or water

Steps:

Sprinkle the veal breast inside and out with salt and pepper to taste
Chop together on a flat, heavy surface the half teaspoon dried thyme, half a bay leaf and one teaspoon chopped garlic. Set aside.
Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet and add the finely chopped onion. Cook, stirring, until wilted and add the ground veal and pork. Cook, stirring and chopping down with the side of a heavy metal kitchen spoon to break up lumps in the meats. Add the garlic mixture and mushrooms and cook, stirring, about five minutes.
Add the spinach and cook until wilted. Add the bread crumbs, ricotta cheese and egg. Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and pepper flakes. Stir to blend well. Let cool.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Open up the pocket of the breast. Fill the pocket with the mixture. Sew up the pocket all around with string to enclose the filling. Rub the bottom of a baking dish with the tablespoon of corn oil.
Put the breast in the baking dish and rub it all over with the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil. Place the breast, bone side down, in the baking dish and place in the oven. Bake 30 minutes.
Add the sliced carrots, celery and coarsely chopped onion. Continue baking 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, tie the three sprigs of parsley, two sprigs of thyme and remaining bay leaf into a bundle. Add this to the veal.
Add the tomatoes, wine and garlic clove. Cover the meat loosely with foil and continue baking about 30 minutes.
Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees. Remove the foil and baste well. Continue baking 30 minutes. The total baking time is two hours. Transfer the meat to a warm serving platter.
When ready to serve, add the broth or water to the pan. Bring to the boil on top of the stove. Stir to dissolve the brown particles that cling to the bottom and sides of the pan. Discard the bundle of herbs amd garlic clove.
Remove the string from the veal. Carve the veal and serve with the vegetables in sauce surrounding the roast.