Picture this: It's nearing quitting time, and you've got to stop at the market to pick up dinner ingredients. You're hungry but uninspired—you can't bear the thought of yet another roasted chicken, grilled steak, or seared piece of fish. What's a cook to do? It's time you added veal to your weekly dinner rotation.
Veal is tender, leaner than poultry, has just as much protein as beef (although, on average, is less expensive), and is as every bit as easy to cook at home as a steak or pork chop. Because of the stigma of raising caged animals, many customers shy away from veal. Happily, these days there are more humane options for raising veal—the calves are no longer chained to individual cages. Some are even raised free-range, on pasture.
Plus, points out Pat LaFrieda of Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, veal is "naturally and legally hormone free." The calves used to be injected with growth hormones, but about a decade ago the USDA banned hormone use in veal.
So…You Wanna Buy Some Veal
First things first: What is veal? Veal is just beef that's been processed before maturity—just like lamb is young sheep. It's very tender, because the animal's muscles are underdeveloped. (Although crating the calves contributes to tender meat, merely processing them before they grow up and work their muscles also contributes to unctuous meat.) Most veal calves are processed at about 10-12 months, as opposed to adult steers, which are typically processed at around 22 months. Veal is a natural by-product of the dairy industry; cows must give birth to calves to continually produce milk.
If you're interested in buying humanely-raised meat (i.e. animals raised outside of tiny crates), John McFadden, Sr. of Staubitz Meat Market in Brooklyn says to ask for "free-range" and "grass-fed" veal. Still feeling anxious about its origin? Just talk to your butcher: He or she will know where the meat is from and how it was raised. Ready to get cooking? Here are the most common cuts of veal, and how to turn them into dinner.
Adding beef and veal to a ragù keeps it tender and richly flavored. Photo: Marcus Nilsson
Ground
Ground veal is available at many butcher shops, and even some grocery stores. It's tender, but very lean, so it's best combined with another, fattier cut of meat, like 20% fat beef, or pork. Use it in burgers, meatloaf, or bolognese.
