Veal can be a contentious issue amongst food-lovers. And then there are the animal-lovers to consider too of course, but they tend to be a bit one-sided on this issue. However, for those of us who both love food and prefer to eat only ethically produced food, we are lucky that we can now buy British “rosé” veal, which is pink in colour and means that the calves have not been confined to small containers all their lives or fed iron- and fibre-deficient diets.
For many years I’ve maintained that “happy food is tasty food”, so am glad to find happy veal is becoming more widely available. Why they feel the need to market it as “rosé” veal is beyond me though; perhaps they think that French-sounding names for food are more likely to sound sophisticated and appeal to people more, which is ironic seeing that the British veal calves are raised to a much higher standard of welfare than those elsewhere in Europe.
Anyway, all that aside, Kerri bought a couple of slices of happy veal for dinner today. We breaded and fried these and served them with asparagus and sautéed spring greens, all of which turned out really well. The recipe for the veal went something like this:
Ingredients:
2 happy, pink veal escalopes
2 cups breadcrumbs
1 egg
flour
parsely
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper
olive oil for frying (1-2 tbsps)
Method:
Place some flour onto a plate. Beat the egg, season it with salt and pepper and then mix the mustard into it and place it onto another plate. Finely chop the parsley, then mix it into the breadcrumbs on a third plate and season the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper too.
Have a fourth, empty plate waiting (this recipe is heavy on plates if you hadn’t realised yet). Pat the veal escalopes dry with some kitchen towel, then dust them with the flour, patting off any excess. Then dredge them in the seasoned egg mixture and finally put them onto the breadcrumb plate, coating them well with the crumbs and pressing the crumbs well into it to make them stick. Then set aside on the empty plate.
Heat some oil in a frying pan over medium heat and when it is hot, add the breaded escalopes. Fry for 2-3 minutes on one side, then turn over and cook on the other side for the same amount of time. You might need to add a little more oil when turning them over if all the initial oil has been absorbed into the crumbs.
Then eat them. We found these really delicious. The seasoned crumbs and mustard complemented the veal perfectly and the taste of the veal was strong enough to stand up to the flavours, which we were initially worried up. As mentioned above, we served them with simply steamed asparagus and some spring greens that were shredded and sautéed in butter and garlic.
That veal looks really delicious – I am a big fan of veal. But can I admit that asparagus sort of scares me? Haha that sounds strange, right? I’ve only had it once and each time I go to try it again, I chicken out. Weird.
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Perhaps they should remarket rose veal as happy veal – I think it has a ring to it!
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I’m all for veal. But then again, I eat suckling pig.
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Mmmm, I love veal – veal piccata has always been a favourite but for the longest time I have avoided it because of the conditions that the calves were reared in. Call it what you will, but the advent of ethically reared veal is a great step forward! The idea of mustard in the crumbs sounds delicious…
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I also can’t help smiling wryly at the term ‘rose veal’ though mainly because it makes me think of your 1970s sophisticants deciding between a nice glass of Blue Nun or the new rose….
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Thanks, Katie. I love asparagus but I can appreciate it’s not to everyone’s taste.
I’ll get on to the veal marketing board, GC!
We eat suckling pig too, Su-Lin, but only the happy flavour.
I haven’t tried veal piccata, Jeanne, maybe next time.
Mmm, Blue Nun!
What a great idea to mix parsley in with the breadcrumbs for some subtle flavour and great colours!
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I don’t see what the problem is with veal, after all there are animals kept and reared in far worse conditions than veal calves are. Take chickens – how many anti-veal people will happily eat a bird that has spent its whole life sitting in a pile of sh*t which causes ammonia burns on its hocks? How many anti veal people will happily eat bacon from pigs kept in stalls? How many anti veal people will eat the livers of birds which have been force fed to make the livers swell? How many anti veal people will happily eat duck which has been reared in windowless sheds and denied any chance to express natural behaviour? How many anti veal people think it is Ok to cram hens into wire cages just to keep them supplied with cheap eggs? Anti veal people, who ludicrously claim to be “animal lovers” have no problems at all eating the flesh of cruelly-reared birds and animals which do not look as “cute” as a calf!
I eat veal, I eat milk-fed veal and will not touch that so-called “rose veal” crap with a barge pole because it is not proper veal. Veal comes from calves fed on milk, end of. And if people are happy to eat other meat then they have no valid excuse for not eating veal.
You’re right, Louise, there are animals kept in worse conditions than veal but we choose not to eat those either. There isn’t much I can do about people who choose to eat meat that isn’t reared properly but I can opt not to eat it myself.
I don’t agree with the argument that I might as well eat veal just because other people eat meat that’s reared badly – if everyone took that standpoint then there wouldn’t be any change in farming practices at all. I’m not sure my decision to eat good meat is going to change things drastically but I do believe that if enough people share a belief and act on it then it is possible to effect change.
As for whether rose veal is proper veal or not, I wouldn’t know since I’ve never eaten any other kind. I like rose veal and am happy to eat it. You’ve gone to great lengths to display just how happy you are with your choice and, although it’s not a choice I would make for myself, I respect your right to choose.
Thanks for your comment, it’s an interesting subject but one I feel is better discussed on your own blog. We’re not in the business of lecturing people on what they should and shouldn’t be eating, Dinner Diary is simply a record of what we’ve eaten with some comment around our choices.