Stuffed Veal Breast

[Walter Potenza – straordinario Chef Italiano – has once again graciously agreed to share a recipe with us. It follows his original, except for one change to make it kosher. CS]

Photo by: Chef Walter Potenza

Stuffing:

• 1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley, washed and chopped
• 4-6 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups Italian style bread crumbs
• 1/3 teaspoon oregano flakes
• 1/3 teaspoon basil flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• pinch of powdered sage or Bell Seasoning
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds (pareve/vegan)*
• 1/4 cup black oil cured olives, pitted and finely chopped

Directions:

1. Pour olive oil into a medium bowl. Add herbs, chopped garlic, and other stuffing ingredients except bread crumbs and cheese.
2. Allow to sit 10 minutes to infuse the herbs.
3. Stir in the cheese and bread crumbs. Mixture should be a consistency which allows you to make a smooth round ball out of the stuffing which doesn’t break apart and yet it should not be too liquid to hold this shape.
4. If mixture is too dry, stir in a few tablespoons of hot water or chicken broth at a time until you’ve reached the right consistency.
5. If mixture is too liquid, add a few tablespoons of bread crumbs.

Preparing the Veal:

• 1 4-5 lb veal breast with pocket
• olive oil spray
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• paprika
• salt
• pepper

1. Have the butcher make a large pocket in the side of a 4-5 lb veal breast. Rinse the veal and dry. Open the pocket and pat on the stuffing, with the largest portion in the center. Close the pocket with wooden toothpicks, tie shut with kitchen twine, or simply leave as is.
2. Brush or spray the veal breast thoroughly with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with with a light coating of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper.
3. Roast at 300°F degrees for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until tender and juice no longer runs pink, spraying every 45 minutes or so with olive oil spray.
4. It’s better to slightly undercook this than to overcook, because if the veal is overcooked it will become tough and dry. If you suspect the veal is nearly cooked but hasn’t browned yet, spray with olive oil one last time, turn up the heat to 375°F and finish it for 10-15 minutes to brown.
5. Sprinkle with a light dusting of paprika down the center and garnish with minced fresh Italian parsley.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

* Daya Mozzarella Style Shreds (pareve/vegan)

This product is dairy, lactose and casein free, gluten and soy free, cholesterol free. It melts and stretches.

Walter Potenza

Klops – Meatloaf

While growing up in Uruguay, my Poilishe mother learned to cook Italian to save me from getting beaten up by the neighborhood’s Italian bullies, however, for Shabbos or yomim toivim the fare was almost invariable Eastern European. One dish which I always considered a special treat was klops. I made it last evening and it was delicious! Ah, the memories it brought back…

Klops – Eastern European Meatloaf

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 lb 8 oz fresh ground beef (not lean beef!)
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 cup well packed, fresh white breadcrumbs
• 2  eggs,  lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2/3 cups crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 3 teaspoons fresh parsley
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 2 tablespoons ketchup

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 7 minutes, or until softened and golden, stirring frequently. Add the the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat cool.
2. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a 9″x5″x3″ loaf pan. Put the ground beef into a large mixing bowl and add  the onions, the garlic, the grated carrots, and the bread crumbs. Toss lightly to combine. Add the eggs, salt and pepper to taste, soy sauce, crushed tomatoes, and oregano. Using your hands mix the ingredients together until well blended. do not overwork or the mixture will be to dry. Divide in half.
3. Pour one half the mixture evenly into the loaf pan, Press half the mixture into bottom of a greased loaf pan. Arrange hard cooked eggs down center of the loaf. Cover completely with remaining meat mixture. Bake for 1 1/4 hours or until the edges start shrinking from the sides. Baste the top occasionally with the fatty juices. About 10 minutes before the end, brush the top with the ketchup to glaze.
4. Remove to a heatproof surface and leave to rest, tented loosely in aluminum foil for about 12 minutes. Pour off any excess fat that was not absorbed. Cut into thick slices and serve. Or refrigerate and serve cold.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy. I did!

CS

A Conversation with June Hersh

This evening on our radio show we will talk with June Hersh, author of Recipes Remembered: A Celebration of Survival and Kosher Carnivore. June is teacher, writer and passionate home cook.

In Recipes Remembered she not only gives us some great recipes of yesteryear, but the author brings us  the personal stories of Holocaust survivors, or their children, with memories of their childhood, their struggle for survival, ultimate success and each one’s personal favorite recipe. It is a book filled with love and admiration, as only someone who understands life and is passionate about food could write. In a way it is as a record of Jewish life as it was, a glimpse of what we lost…

In Kosher Carnivore, the author gives us her favorite meat recipes but teaches us how to buy meat, which cuts are best for what type of meal, she also talks about wine and food pairing. Both her books are beautifully written, both are more than just cookbooks!

We will be speaking to her this evening at 8:00pm (Eastern Time) on BlogTalkRadio.com. June Hersh is an exceptional writer, a superb storyteller we a passion for all things Jewish. As we speak to her tonight, her charm, her warmth, her genuineness, will shine trough, enveloping each and every listener.

If you missed last week’s broadcast about The Peppermill, you can hear it right here.

Please tune us in this evening at 8:00pm (Eastern Time) on BlogTalkRadio.com. We’ll be waiting for you.

CS