My Column

As published every Thursday in the Harrow Observer

Veal meat again! (some sunny day?)

For a long time, veal has been unpopular, largely because of cruel farming methods abroad. For some time now, British veal has gone a long way towards changing this perception. Here, producers rear their calves according to strict guidelines laid down by the RSPCA and are accredited with Freedom Food Status.The calves are housed in spacious, airy barns with natural daylight, lots of clean straw and clean water. Rose veal, as it is known, is the meat from UK dairy cattle that would otherwise be exported live, to be reared as veal and then imported back into the UK for sale (eg, as Dutch veal). By humanely rearing them in the UK, the calves are spared excessive, stressful transport. The meat is slightly pinker than Continental veal, (unlike the white-beige colour of meat from animals whose diet is restricted to milk and whose movement is limited), and has a fuller flavour. Veal has a flavour and texture all of its own, a tender deliciousness. It’s closer to lean pork than beef, but with the advantage that it can safely be eaten while still a moist, rosy medium rare. A succulent Rose Veal chop, grilled on the barby, pink in the middle, on a sunny day, I can taste it now!
Try this though, great for a dinner party:-
Escalope of Rose Veal with Caper Sauce

Serves 4
4 rose veal escalopes, about 180g each
25g unsalted butter
8 sage leaves
1 tbsp capers
6crushed peppercorns
2 shallots, finely chopped.
2 tbsp raspberry vinegar
4 tbsp double cream
Salt and milled pepper
Press two sage leaves onto each escalope, and season lightly. Melt the butter until it lightly browns, in a large pan, and cook the meat for about a minute on each side. Remove and keep warm. Add the shallots to the pan juices and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and pepper corns, and reduce until almost dry. Add the cream, bring to the boil, stirring well. Strain into a clean pan, simmer gently until the sauce thickens slightly, and add the capers. Put the escalopes on plates, pour over a little sauce and serve with some fresh tagliatelli.