Veal

Buying cheap English veal for a blanquette is quite all right as long as it is well trimmed. But this is difficult to do when the meat is raw, even with a very sharp knife, because of the abundant gristle and hidden pipes. However, if you cut it into large pieces — if a shoulder, take out the bone, and if breast cut into three or four chunks — and then blanch it for five or ten minutes and refresh in cold water, this both solidifies the meat and removes some of the scum. The veal can then be trimmed of unwanted pieces and cut into neat shapes. Keep the liquid in which the veal was blanched; together with the bones and trimmings it makes a good jellied stock.