Rose veal saltimbocca

  • medium
  • 8
  • 1 hour 30 minutes
Not yet rated

This classic Italian dish is re-imagined in Russell Brown's recipe, with the combination of veal, prosciutto and sage served with a wholesome potato salad and a sprightly lemon gel. Using British rose veal ensures that calves have been raised to the highest welfare standards. As Russell explains, he has always been inspired by Italian cuisine: "My cooking is hugely influenced by Italian cuisine. The whole idea of simple seasonal food where the ingredient is king captured my imagination. There has been much written about Italian food and there are some amazing Italian restaurants in this country. Zafferano, Locanda Locatelli, Theo Randall and Zucca in Bermondsey have all inspired me over the years along with a plethora of food and travel writing."

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Rose veal saltimbocca

Veal jus

Potato salad

Lemon gel

  • 2 lemons, juice and zest
  • 100g of caster sugar
  • 100g of white wine
  • 200g of water
  • 1 sprig of thyme
  • 10g of Sosa vegetable gel, per 100ml liquid

Crispy sage leaves

To serve

  • chives, chopped
  • olive oil, preferably Arbequina

Equipment

  • Squeezy bottle
  • Food processor
  • Fine chinois

Method

1
To start the dish, prepare the veal rump. Remove any sinew or fat and slice into portions of around 80—90g. Bat the portions out between sheets of plastic until they are around 5mm in thickness. Reserve any trimmings for the sauce. Set aside until ready to cook
2
For the veal jus, add a dash of oil to a hot pan and cook the veal trimmings until nicely caramelised, repeatedly scraping the sediment from the bottom of the pan until the trimmings are dark brown in colour. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, continuously scraping the sediment from the pan
3
Reduce the wine to a syrupy consistency cover the meat with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and skim any scum from the top as the sauce simmers. Cook for 1 hour, topping up with cold water if necessary and skimming regularly
4
Pass the liquid through a fine chinois, pressing down well on the solids to squeeze out any liquid. Pass the stock through muslin and repeat until all solids are removed. Reduce to taste, season with flaky sea salt and thicken to a light sauce consistency with cornflour
  • cornflour, to thicken
5
To make the potato salad, add the potatoes to a pan and cover with cold water. Add the salt, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender
6
Combine the dressing ingredients in a bowl. Once cooked, drain the potatoes and leave to steam dry for a few minutes before adding the potatoes to the dressing and mixing well. Season to taste and chill
7
For the lemon gel, combine all of the ingredients (except the vegetable gel) in a pan. Bring to a boil, reduce by approximately half, then season with salt. Taste the liquid and add more sugar or lemon if needed to balance the flavour
  • 2 lemons, juice and zest
  • 100g of caster sugar
  • 100g of white wine
  • 200g of water
  • 1 sprig of thyme
8
Measure out the liquid and add 10g of vegetable gel per 100ml. Bring to the boil, then cool and allow to set in the pan. Once cool, blitz in a food processor to create a smooth purée and store in a squeeze bottle
  • 10g of Sosa vegetable gel, per 100ml liquid
9
To serve, season the veal portions and lay a slice of ham on each piece to cover. Place a sage leaf on top of the ham. Add a dash of oil to a pan over a high heat and fry the veal portions, ham-side down, until the ham is crispy. Turn the veal over and cook for a further minute, finishing with a knob of butter. Allow to rest for 3-4 minutes
10
For the crispy sage leaves, heat the oil in a small pan until it reaches 160°C. Fry the leaves until crispy, they are ready when the oil stops bubbling. Remove and drain on kitchen towel
11
To plate, warm the potato salad and mix in the chopped chives. Arrange the potatoes in a bowl and pipe 6 dots of lemon gel around the edge. Top with the veal portions and a drizzle of sauce between the dots of lemon gel. Add the fried sage leaves and drizzle olive oil around to finish
  • chives, chopped
  • olive oil, preferably Arbequina

Russell Brown has achieved Michelin stardom on his own terms, impressing inspectors with his honest, unfussy creations and sound approach to restaurant management.

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