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1
Put the bread cubes in a small bowl and pour the milk over them; toss together, and let the bread soak up the milk, tossing the cubes every few minutes so they moisten evenly.
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2
Meanwhile, put the mortadella, onion, carrot, and celery pieces in the food processor, fitted with the steel blade, and chop them together into fine bits, processing continuously for about 1/2 minute; scrape down the sides of the bowl, and process briefly until everything is a pastelike mix.
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3
Pour the olive oil into a 10- or 12-inch skillet, and set over medium-high heat; scrape in the chopped stuffing and spread it in the pan.
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4
As it starts to sizzle, lower the heat considerably, stir, and saute gently for 3 or 4 minutes to bring out the flavorsdont let the stuffing get crusty or colored.
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5
Squeeze the bread cubes firmly by handfuls to get out excess milk, and scatter them over the stuffing.
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6
Still cooking over low heat, break up the bread clumps with a spoon or spatula, and stir to incorporate completely.
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7
Mix in the chopped prunes, and cook them with the stuffing for a minute or so.
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8
Take the pan off the heat and scrape the stuffing into a bowl.
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9
Let the stuffing cool, then stir in the pine nuts, grated cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and the beaten egg, mixing thoroughly.
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10
At this time, set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 400.
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11
As I explain in the box (page 359), and as you can see in the photos, your stuffing method will vary with the size and cut of veal breast (and your own preferences).
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12
Follow these general steps to prepare the breast: Rinse and dry it thoroughly.
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13
Check the breast for pockets of fat and remove.
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14
There is often a clump of fat on the bony side, where you will see a flap of meat partially covering the ribs.
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15
Lift this flap, and cut away the fat hidden inside.
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16
Do not remove the skin on the bottomeither from the ribs or the meat flapas it helps hold the breast together.
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This flap of meat, under the ribs, is the one I use to wrap around the stuffed breast in the photos.
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Cut it off, shave off the silver skin from both sides, then pound it with a meat hammer or tenderizer until it is paper-thin, like carpaccio.
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And theres your wrapper!
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To stuff: Follow the method shown in the photos, first cutting a pocket in the meaty layers on top of the ribs, then filling it with your stuffing.
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21
Enclose the breast and exposed stuffing with the pounded veal flap (or use bacon strips or prosciutto slices), and tie securely with kitchen twine.
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22
If you have a whole veal-breast tip cut, you need only slice open the pocket on the wide side down to the tip and push the stuffing in toward the closed tip.
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23
Then tie the roast closed.
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24
Put the tied breast in the roasting pan and sprinkle the salt all over, patting the crystals into the meat.
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25
Pour on the olive oil and rub it all over.
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26
Set the breast, rib side down, in the center of the pan.
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27
Put all the chopped vegetables, the prunes, and the seasonings (except the salt) in a big bowl, and toss with the 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
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28
If your broth is unsalted, add 1 teaspoon salt to the vegetablesuse less salt or no salt if your broth is salted already.
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29
Scatter the vegetables and seasonings around the veal in the pan.
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30
Pour in the white wine and 2 cups or more broth or water, so the cooking liquid is about 1/2 inch deep in the pan.
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31
Cover the pan with one or more long sheets of aluminum foil, arching the foil if necessary to keep it from touching the meat and vegetables.
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32
Crimp the foil around the rim of the pan, and press it tightly against the sides all around, sealing the veal and vegetables in a tent.
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33
Set the pan in the oven and roast for an hour, then bring the roasting pan up front and carefully remove the foil.
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The veal should be lightly browned and the juices bubbling.
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35
Baste with the juices, turn the vegetables over, and push the pan back into the oven.
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36
Roast for another hour or so, uncovered, basting every 20 minutes and rotating the pan back to front for even cooking.
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37
The top of the veal breast should be brown and crusty, the vegetables lightly browned as well, and the liquid considerably reduced.
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38
Remove from the oven.
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39
Lift out the veal breast with a large spatula, or by holding it with towels, and rest it on a platter while you start the sauce.
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40
With a potato masher, crush the cooked vegetables in the juices, breaking them up into little bits.
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41
Set the sieve over the saucepan, and pour everything from the pan through it, pressing the solids against the sieve with a big spoon to release their liquid, then discard the remains.
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42
Let the juices rest, and when the fat rises to the top, skim it off.
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43
(Putting the pan in a bowl of ice water will help the fat to congeal, if you are in a hurry.)
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44
Set the saucepan over high heat, bring the juices to a boil, and reduce them, uncovered, until theyve thickened to a syrupy sauce.
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45
Meanwhile, return the veal to the roasting pan and pour any accumulated juices into the saucepan.
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46
Baste the veal one more time with hot juices, and put it back in the oven to roast for 30 minutes more, until it is dark and crusty on top and the sides are browned as well.
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47
To make sure the stuffing is cooked too, insert an instant-read thermometer into the stuffing layer.
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48
At 160, it is ready.
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49
Remove the veal from the oven, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
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50
Cut away the kitchen twine.
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51
Remove the ribs, loosening them with a knife, and pulling them out one at a time while holding the roast steady.
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52
Slice crosswise into thick slices with a sharp, serrated knife.
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53
Lay the slices on a warm platter, showing off the stuffing layer, and moisten with the sauce.
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54
Pass more sauce at the table.
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55
*Cut them in small pieces, as listed, for sauce.
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56
To serve roast vegetables, cut them as described on page 344.
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57
This stuffing is excellent for turkey and chicken.
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58
The meat business has changed in my lifetime.
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59
Most retail butchers dont get meat in large quarters and primal cuts that they skillfully divide any way we ask.
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60
Supermarket meat departments, Ive found, only get pre-cut sections of the most popular meats, which require minimal cutting before they go out in the case.
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61
Unfortunately, the ideal veal breast for this recipe is not an item much in demand.
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It may take dedicated searching to find a butcher in your area who can fabricate the perfect piece: a 5-pound bone-in breast cut, from the tip.
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Thats the very end of the breast, farthest from the front leg, and it has two advantages: lots of cartilage, which adds flavor and richness, and a naturally closed pocket at the tip, which makes stuffing easy.
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64
On the day we tested this recipe and took these photos, I couldnt get a breast tip anywhere.
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65
The piece shown here (which came from a Manhattan supermarket) is only 3 1/2 pounds and cut from the middle, not the closed end of the breast.
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66
As you can see, the pocket that I cut for the stuffing is open on both ends.
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67
I wondered, though, how would I keep the stuffing in?
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My first idea was to wrap bacon or prosciutto slices around the openings and tie them in place.
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But we didnt have any in the kitchen that dayand there was no time for shopping.
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70
So I did something quite acceptable in cookingI improvised.
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71
I took a flap of veal meat that is hidden under the ribs, next to the cutting board in the photos.
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72
I trimmed and pounded it and made a sheet that covered the holes neatly.
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Tied in place, the patch worked fine.
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No stuffing was lost, and we enjoyed our roast and delicious sauce for lunch and supper too.
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75
One of the importantand challenginglessons in cooking is that we cooks learn to make do with what we have.
