Veal is prized for its light beef flavour and very tender texture. At Fine Food Specialist, we have many different cuts of veal to choose from, including steaks, chops, cutlets and much more! Make sure to browse our full range of veal products and read on for our guide to buying and cooking with veal.
What is veal?
Veal is the meat from calves, rather than older cows, which are known as beef. It is lighter in colour and flavour and is very soft and tender.
How do you cook veal?
There are many traditional dishes that use veal, such as schnitzel, which is a pounded veal cutlet that has been breaded and deep-fried. This preparation of veal is common around the world and is also seen in dishes such as the Italian dish veal Milanese, and the Asturian dish cachopo, which also includes ham and cheese. Saltimbocca is another traditional and very famous preparation of veal, in which the meat is wrapped in prosciutto and sage.
However, not all veal dishes are fried. The Piedmontese dish vitello tonnato consists of cold sliced veal with a mayonnaise based sauce incorporating tuna.
Larger, bonier cuts of veal such as osso bucco are cooked slowly, to release the marrow in the bones and make a thick, rich sauce.
What goes well with veal?
Classic sauces including white wine, lemon juice and herbs will all work well with the flavour of veal, without overpowering it. Make sure to cut rich sauces with some acidity, such as lemon juice or vinegar, and consider adding pickled elements such as capers to fried veal dishes.
When it comes to slow cook cuts like osso bucco, rich stocks and tomato bases will be best for allowing the marrow to mingle and enrich the sauce. We also stock veal brains at Fine Food Specialist, which are lovely deep fried in a golden crumb and served with a piquant sauce, such as a gribiche.
What are the best veal recipes?
Veal schnitzel really is a classic, especially served alongside a lemon-dressed salad - try our veal schnitzel with Castelfranco salad recipe.
Pasta is another way to show off the delicate flavour of veal, such as this dish of osso bucco tortelloni with sage butter. You may also like this rich, comforting recipe for osso bucco with polenta and gremolata.
This veal cutlet with porcini mushrooms, spinach and a port jus shows off some classic flavours, while these fried veal sweetbreads with sauce gribiche make a brilliant starter.
Make sure to check out our full range of veal products and recipe archive on Drogo’s Kitchen.
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