Veal Breast With Watercress Stuffing

• 1 eight-to-nine-pound breast of veal with pocket for stuffing
• 2 bunches fresh watercress, trimmed, about 1/2 pound
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 cups finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, finely chopped, about 4 cups
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1 bay leaf, chopped, about 1 teaspoon
• 1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• Salt, if desired
• Freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 to 6 ribs celery, cut into half-inch cubes, about 1 1/2 cups
• 2 green peppers, cored and cut into three-quarter-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• 4 cups canned imported Italian tomatoes, peeled

1. Wipe the meat well with a damp cloth.
2. Rinse the watercress well and drop it into boiling water.
3. Let stand about 10 seconds.
4. Drain well and, when cool enough to handle, squeeze it to extract excess moisture.
5. Chop it and set aside.
6. Put the pork in a deep saucepan and add the two cups of chopped onion and the finely minced garlic.
7. Cook, stirring, about five minutes and add the mushrooms, chopped thyme and chopped bay leaf.
8. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
9. Add the chopped watercress and stir to blend well.
10. Remove from the heat.
11. Stir in the bread crumbs and add the beaten eggs, salt and pepper to taste.
12. Stir and let cool.
13. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
14. Stuff the veal with the watercress mixture and sew up the pocket all around to enclose the filling.
15. Sprinkle the meat on all sides with salt and pepper to taste.
16. Heat the butter in a heavy skillet or roasting pan and add the veal, skin side down and bone side up.
17. Bake 15 minutes and turn the meat skin side up.
18. Bake 15 minutes longer.
19. Scatter the celery, green peppers, coarsely chopped onion, coarsely chopped garlic, whole bay leaf, thyme sprigs and tomatoes around, but not on top of, the meat.
20. Cover closely with foil and bake one hour.
21. Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees.
22. Uncover the meat and bake 30 minutes longer.
23. Let stand about 10 minutes before slicing.
24. Serve with vegetables in sauce surrounding the roast.

eighttonine, fresh watercress, ground pork, onion, garlic, mushrooms, thyme, bay leaf, bread crumbs, eggs, salt, freshly ground pepper, butter, celery, green peppers, onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, italian tomatoes

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/4902 (may not work)