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By Root 735 0

also be called veal brisket and, like brisket of beef, is the flap that covers the front part of a cow’s chest—is rarely sold that way. But any butcher (and, yes, this includes virtually every supermarket butcher) can quickly remove the bones from a veal breast and present you with a flat, boneless, relatively compact cut that contains little fat and becomes tender in less than two hours of unattended cooking.

Ask the butcher to start with a piece of breast that weighs four to six pounds. The yield is about half that, a piece of boneless meat of two or three pounds that will easily fit in a large skillet. (Consider asking the butcher for the bones, too—you’re paying for them, and they are among the best for stock making.)

1 ounce dried mushrooms, preferably porcini

One 2- to 3-pound boneless veal breast

½ cup white wine or ½ cup good-quality chicken or beef stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon butter (optional)

1. Reconstitute the mushrooms by covering them with very hot water. Turn the heat under a 12-inch skillet to medium-high and let the pan sit for a minute. Add the veal and brown it on both sides, turning once, for a total of about 6 minutes.

2. Transfer the meat to a plate and turn the heat to medium. Add the mushrooms and about ½ cup of their liquid (strained, if necessary, to remove sediment) along with the wine. Bring to a boil and cook for about 30 seconds, then return the veal to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper, turn the heat to low, and cover.

3. Cook for 1 to 1½ hours, turning once or twice during that period and checking now and then to make sure the liquid is bubbling slowly; adjust the heat accordingly.

4. When the meat is tender, transfer it to a cutting board. Turn the heat under the liquid in the skillet to high and reduce it to a thick, saucy consistency. Stir in the butter if you like and keep it warm. Carve the meat against the grain into ¼-inch-thick slices and serve with the sauce.

VARIATIONS

Braised Veal Breast with Fresh Mushrooms

Though I find that cooking the veal breast with dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms yields the best results and deepest flavor, you can prepare the dish with fresh mushrooms: Start with at least ½ pound fresh mushrooms, button or other. Slice them, then cook them over medium-high heat in 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter, preferably with a couple of crushed peeled garlic cloves and a few fresh thyme sprigs, until tender, about 15 minutes. Proceed as directed, adding ½ cup water, wine, or stock in place of the mushroom-cooking liquid.

Veal Brisket with Bacon and Onion

One of my favorite variations takes its cue from a classic coq au vin. Start by rendering about ¼ pound cubed bacon, preferably cut from a slab, over medium heat, stirring, until crisp. Then remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon. Brown the veal in the fat as directed. Remove the veal and cook 1½ cups chopped onion (or about 15 pearl onions) in the fat over medium heat until nicely browned. Proceed as directed, beginning by adding the mushrooms and their liquid and using red wine in place of the white wine.

• For any of these renditions, consider stirring in up to 4 tablespoons (½ stick) of butter, a bit at a time, at the end of cooking to give the sauce a richness and suavity like you’d encounter in the best restaurants. (Trust me: that’s how they make everything taste so good.)

VEAL STEW OF SPRING

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 1 HOUR

THE CHARM OF most braised dishes is that they result in succulent, tender meat and require little attention after an initial browning. The sad truth, however, is that most meats need hours—sometimes many hours—before they become truly tender. Not so with veal chunks taken from the shoulder or leg, which become tender in less than an hour and produce a superb stew.

And the smaller the chunks of meat, the shorter the cooking time. (This is a very basic and oft-ignored general principle of cooking: spend a little more time with the knife and you sometimes spend a lot less time at the stove.) Smaller chunks have another advantage