Sausage-Stuffed Veal Roast with Saffron Rice

Sausage-Stuffed Veal Roast with Saffron Rice

Ingredients

1... pound hot Italian sausage links or rope sausage
..... cut in 4- to 6-inch pieces
..... Water
2... eggs
¾.. cup fresh bread crumbs (1½ slices)
1... 4-ounce jar diced pimento, drained
¼.. pound green beans
..... Salt
1... 4-pound rolled boneless veal leg sirloin roast
1... 8-ounce package thick-sliced bacon
2... cups regular long-grain rice
½.. teaspoon all-purpose flour
..... Watercress sprigs for garnish

Instructions

1.. In 10-inch skillet over medium heat, heat sausage and ¼ cup water to boiling. Cover; simmer 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue cooking, turning sausages frequently, until water evaporates and sausages are well browned, about 20 minutes. Remove sausage to paper towels to drain; Finely chop sausage. In medium bowl, combine chopped sausage with eggs, fresh bread crumbs, and diced pimento.

2.. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, er, in 1-quart saucepan over high heat, heat whole green beans, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 inch water to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 to 10 minutes, until beans are fork tender; drain.

3.. Untie veal sirloin roast; place, fat side down, on work surface. To make veal evenly thick, with sharp knife held parallel to the cutting surface, cut off horizontal slices from thick parts of veal. Press the cut-off slices where needed along edges of veal roast to make a rectangle about 12 by 10 inches. Then, if necessary, pound veal with dull edge of French knife or meat mallet to make about 1 inch thick throughout.

4.. Spoon sausage mixture onto veal; place green beans, parallel to short side, here and there on sausage mixture. Starting at a narrow end, carefully roll veal, jelly-roll fashion; fasten with skewers. Place veal roast seam side down; wrap roast with bacon slices, overlapping bacon slices if necessary. With string, tie veal roast at intervals of about 2 inches.

5.. Place stuffed veal roast on rack in open roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer into center of roast. Roast in 325° F oven 2 hours or until meat thermometer reaches 170°F.

6.. About 30 minutes before veal is done, prepare rice as label directs but add saffron threads to rice.

7.. When roast is done, remove strings and skewers; place roast on warm platter. Remove rack from pan. Skim 3 tablespoons fat from drippings into 1-quart saucepan; skim off and discard any remaining fat (or save in fridge or freezer for more veal gravy later). Stir pan juices until brown bits are loosened from pan; pour pan juices into 2-cup measure; add enough water to make 2 cups.

8.. Into fat in saucepan, over medium heat, stir flour and ½ teaspoon salt until blended; gradually stir in meat-juice mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.

9.. To serve, cut veal roast into thin slices; arrange veal roast and saffron rice on warm large platter. Garnish platter with watercress sprigs. Pass gravy with veal.

Serving Suggestions

Here's a tip from Biba Caggiano, expert cook and hostess, Italian cooking teacher, cookbook author, TV Chef (Cooking With Biba) and owner of her restaurant, BIBA, in Sacramento. In her now ancient cookbook, Northern Italian Cooking (HP Books, 1981), one of many she has written since then (our copy looks like it's been thru WWII) Biba has a recipe of her own for Stuffed Roast Veal, and her menu, typical of the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy, where she was born and raised, included Green Tagliatelle (spinach pasta) with Tomato Sauce, Stuffed Artichokes, Baked Tomatoes, Buttered Carrots, Oranges in Liqueur, Sweet Fried Cream, and Prosciutto with Melon! To that we will not add a single word. Thank you, Biba!

• Time: about 3 hours before serving. Makes 8 to 12 servings,
...depending on how hungry your guests are.
...575 calories per serving.
...A good source of thiamine, niacin, iron.

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