Cold Veal Soup With Salsa Verde
- 6 ounces kosher salt
- 2 ounces sugar
- 2 to 2 1/2 pounds veal roast, top round, trussed
- 1 bay leaf
- 10 peppercorns
- 2 stalks celery, very thinly sliced diagonally
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 2 1/2 cups packed parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup lovage leaves (if available)
- 2 tablespoons capers
- about 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Four days before: In a large bowl or plastic container, combine kosher salt, sugar and 2 quarts water.
- Stir until sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Using a meat syringe, inject some brine into 4 to 6 places in veal.
- Place veal in brine; refrigerate 4 days.
- Remove veal from brine, rinse and place in a bowl.
- Cover with water; let sit 10 minutes.
- Remove from water, place in a deep pot, and cover with cold water by 1 inch.
- Add bay leaf and peppercorns, and heat gently over medium heat, skimming occasionally.
- Do not boil; keep at a bare simmer.
- Cook until a thermometer inserted into center of meat reads 160 degrees, about 1 hour.
- Transfer veal to a medium bowl, and strain half the cooking liquid over veal.
- Let cool.
- Return pot to stove, and taste remaining cooking liquid.
- If salty, add water until it tastes balanced.
- Bring to a simmer.
- Place celery in a bowl or container large enough to hold broth.
- When it just reaches a simmer, strain into bowl with celery.
- Let cool.
- Then separately chill veal with its liquid, and celery with its broth, in refrigerator.
- Meanwhile, make salsa verde: Preheat oven to 350.
- Place almonds on a cookie sheet, and toast in oven, about 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven, and pour warm almonds into a food processor (or mortar).
- Let almonds cool a few minutes.
- Then, while warm, add parsley, lovage, capers and 1 tablespoon olive oil, and pulse until coarse (or pound with a pestle).
- Sauce should be dry and coarse, just bound with olive oil, so add oil sparingly, a few drops at a time.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Set aside.
- To serve: Remove veal from liquid; carve into 1/8-inch slices.
- Ladle a 1/2 inch of broth and celery into each of six bowls.
- In each, arrange three slices, overlapping (so that some is above liquid).
- Dollop about 1 tablespoon of salsa verde on veal.
- Serve.
kosher salt, sugar, veal roast, bay leaf, peppercorns, stalks celery, almonds, parsley, lovage leaves, capers, extra virgin olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/8938 (may not work)