Roasted Garlic-Braised Breast of Veal with Springtime Stuffing

Name: Roasted Garlic-Braised Breast of Veal with Springtime Stuffing
Yield: Yield: 6–8 servings
Cuisine: French-Jewish
Ingredients: 1 large bunch of Swiss chard (about 1½ pounds), washed, white stems removed and reserved for another purpose, green leaves coarsely chopped (5–6 tightly packed cups); 1 large bunch of spinach (about 1 pound), washed, coarse stems discarded, and leaves coarsely chopped (about 5 tightly packed cups), or 10 ounces frozen leaf spinach, thawed; 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves; 1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves; 1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves; Juice and zest of 1 large lemon; ½ cup medium- or short-grain rice, preferably arborio (medium- or short-grain is called for because you want a creamy texture, like a risotto; long-grain rice will give you fluffy, separate grains); 1½ cups chicken broth, preferably homemade, or good-quality low-sodium canned; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 very large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups); ½ cup plus 2 teaspoons olive oil; 4 large garlic cloves, minced (1–1½ tablespoons), plus 1 large head, unpeeled; 1 cup Sauvignon Blanc or other dry white wine; One 5- to 6-pound veal breast (see Cook’s Note); 1 cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves; 1 large egg, beaten

Spinach, Chard, and Fresh Herbs

Preparation info

Yield:
6–8
servings

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Gefilte Variations

By Jayne Cohen

Published 2000

About

This recipe began with a tattered French novella I read in the library. It led me to medieval towns in the south of France better known for ambrosial melons than Jewish cooking, and took me to bookstores and museums throughout Paris. It tells the story of a vanished cuisine.

I stumbled on “les juifs du Pape” (the Pope’s Jews) while researching early French-Jewish cuisine at the New York Public Library. Although the Jews were expelled from France in 1394, they were allowed to

Ingredients

Europe
France
Main course
Mediterranean
Passover
Spring
Gluten-free

Ingredients

Method