CookEat Recipe
Florentine Veal Polpettone
A round veal and prosciutto loaf browned in a vegetable soffritto, gently braised and served with thick pan juices and lemon.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 500 g lean boneless veal, trimmed of membranes and sinew; 50 g prosciutto with fat and lean; Very little salt, black pepper and a small pinch of ground mixed spice; 1 egg; 25 g plain flour: about 20 g for coating and 5 g, roughly half a tablespoon, for the sauce; 15 g onion, a small walnut-sized piece, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon chopped parsley; 30 g celery, finely chopped; 30 g carrot, finely chopped; 30 g butter; About 150 ml water, with small extra additions if needed; Juice of half a lemon.
Step 2
Finely mince the trimmed raw veal with the prosciutto, using a sharp knife or mincer. Mix with a little salt, pepper, spice and the egg. With damp hands form one firm round loaf about 10–11 cm across, and coat lightly with the flour reserved for coating. Keep cold while preparing the pan.
Step 3
Put the onion, parsley, celery, carrot and butter in a snug heavy casserole. Cook over moderate heat until the vegetables begin to colour, about 5–7 minutes. Add the polpettone and brown carefully on all sides, using two broad spoons or spatulas to turn it.
Step 4
Whisk the remaining 5 g flour into about 150 ml water and pour around the meat. Cover and cook at a very gentle simmer for about 45–60 minutes, turning carefully from time to time and adding small splashes of hot water only if needed to prevent sticking.
Step 5
Check that the centre reaches 74°C, including the egg-and-meat mixture. The juices should be thick. Move the loaf to a warm platter, spoon the thick pan juices around it and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over. Slice to serve.
Step 6
For the Piedmontese version, place one additional peeled hard-boiled egg in the centre while shaping the same meat mixture. Enclose it completely, then brown and braise in the same way, checking 74°C in the meat around the egg. This egg is additional to the raw binding egg.
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