Poitrine de veau farcie (Stuffed Veal Ribs) with Roasted Potatoes and Shallots

Sunday 3 March

Brian was coming to give a series of AIA lectures, and we brought back old times by having him, Liz, Kathleen, and Steve over for a slap-up dinner.

Remember back at Christmas, when we bought a whole veal breast?

Well, now was the time to haul out the half we froze, and cook it. 

Holt had cut it so that there would be six ribs left (for a future dinner), and we had exactly six participants, so we could have it Flintstones-style, with the big bones sticking out. 

The trick to cutting the pocket in the breast is to slide in between the top of the biggest rib and the meat with a small, thin, and very sharp paring knife, then go deeper with a regular chef's knife, always turning the blade slightly down against the bone. Go slowly and carfully when close to either edge. (This advice from Sparafucile SpA, Milano).

We stuffed it with a mix of sautéed beetgreens (in first), then kale, and, off the heat, Charles Bare sausage, according to Julia Child's recipe, but with breadcrumbs instead of rice. The sausage is mixed in raw, so that it bastes the meat on the inside. It cooked according to New Joy, for three hours at 350º, until it was browned and beautiful. 

After two hours, the peeled and quartered shallots and potatoes went in under the veal.  As the veal and vedge finished roasting, our guests arrived. 

We went to the table immediately for our appetizer course.  Holt had made Brazilian cheesy puffs, fresh and hot, and we had lots of crackers for lox, drained yogurt seasoned with lemon zest and capers, pickled vegetables, daikon, and olives, a log of soft chevron with fig jam, and of course various wines.

In due course, Holt carved the giant veal, and everyone got a succulent chop, plus the unctuous roasted vedge.  Nothing could keep this crowd from conversation, but a little silence did fall as the party began to absorb the giant slices of veal.

And finally, there was dessert.  We had bought a pineapple earlier in the week, and were surprised to find that Dora adored the spiny thing, nibbling on the thorny leaves throughout the week.  We served it with almond cookies Liz had made from the American Academy in Rome cookbook, along with red grapes, chocolate, and chocolate covered strawberries.  For those who liked, a pour of Laird's applejack went very well with the fruit, too.