Here is a roast that doesn’t need special effects. All it takes is good raw material, a few vegetables, smart cooking and the right amount of time. This is my veal roast with vegetable sauce: essential, fragrant, made to be shared. The “protected cooking” method preserves the meat’s fibers and enhances the natural juices without invasive interventions. It’s a gentle method, ideal for lean cuts of veal; it ensures tenderness and a concentrated cooking base that can be turned into a silky sauce—perfect for mopping up with good bread. It’s also an incredibly convenient preparation. A few steps, everything wrapped in the special parchment and into the oven. No browning to watch, no splatters, no constant turning: it cooks gently on its own while we can calmly do other things. In short… deliciousness, practicality and simplicity. Let’s not forget that sometimes simplicity, when done well, is the real luxury in the kitchen. So, if you want to prepare a good main course without stress, this is the roast for you.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for the veal roast
I used a tied veal roast cut from a lean part of the leg. Alternatively, you can use top round (magatello).
- 1.76 lb veal roast
- 2 carrots (about 10.6 oz net after trimming)
- 2 stalks celery (about 4.2 oz net after trimming)
- 1 yellow onion (about 3.5 oz net after trimming)
- 1 sprig rosemary
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- black pepper
Tools
In this recipe I chose to use CARTA FATA to obtain an even and juicy cooking. If you’re wondering what it is and how to use it correctly, I recommend clicking HERE to read an article where I present it in detail. It looks like a simple film, right? But it’s not at all. In the oven it becomes a small natural steam chamber. It’s found only in better-stocked houseware shops or online. If you want to buy it, look HERE. It’s a bit pricey but it works wonderfully.
If you don’t have carta fata, you can wrap the roast first in parchment paper and then seal it well with a sheet of aluminum foil; or you can cook it in a baking dish tightly covered. The important thing is to create a protected cooking environment that retains moisture and aromas, so you get tender meat and a naturally creamy sauce.
- 1 Roasting pan
- 1 Immersion blender
Preparation of the veal roast
Clean the vegetables: scrape the carrots, remove the strings and leaves from the celery and peel the onion. Rinse them under running water, pat dry with kitchen paper and cut into small dice.
Spread a sheet of carta fata over a roasting pan and arrange the vegetables on it to form an even layer. If you don’t have this wonderful paper read above how to proceed: I explained it in the TOOLS section.
Place the veal roast on the vegetables and add a sprig of rosemary. In my case the butcher had already inserted it before tying. You can comfortably place it alongside the roast.
Season with salt to taste and drizzle with a little oil, then close the parcel like a candy as shown in the photograph.
Cook the veal roast in a preheated conventional oven at 320°F for 65 minutes if you prefer it slightly pink in the center, or for 70 minutes if you want it well done but still tender.
When cooking is finished, remove the pan from the oven and open the carta fata parcel only on one side. Be careful as hot steam will escape. Pour the cooking juices into a cup, straining them to hold back any small pieces of vegetables.
Remove the roast and transfer it to a cutting board. Cover it lightly with a sheet of aluminum foil and let it rest for 10–15 minutes without removing the twine.
Meanwhile, collect the vegetables in the cup of an immersion blender and purée them, adding little by little only the cooking juices needed to obtain a creamy sauce. Finish with a drizzle of raw olive oil to make it shinier and silkier. Transfer it to a bowl and adjust salt and pepper.
After the roast has rested, remove the twine and slice it with a long, sharp knife into slices about 1/4 inch thick. Serve with the prepared vegetable sauce. Enjoy! Paola.
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