What do you need?
2 L/3½ pt of broth or 4 chicken broth dissolved in the same amount of water
1 medium onion
1 medium carrot
1 medium celery stalk
1 bay leaf
5-6 peppercorns
1 kg/2 ¼ lb boneless beef brisket
FOR THE FILLING
4 oz/100 g beef brain
4 oz/100 g beef sweetbreads
juice of ½ lemon salt
2 oz/50 g crustless white bread
200 ml/7 fluid ounces of milk
1 medium onion, chopped very fine
75g / 3oz butter
150g/5oz breaded beef, trimmed of fat and skin, cut into 10mm cubes ½ diced 25g/1oz pistachios (optional)
7.5 ml / ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
5 medium eggs
100g/4oz fresh cooked peas
3 tablespoons/45ml grated Parmesan cheese freshly ground black pepper
Serve to
Bean and tomato salad
How to do?
Step 1
For the filling, wash the veal brain and gizzards under cold running water. Soak in cold water for about 30 minutes.
Step 2
Transfer the brain and gizzards to a saucepan and add water to cover, the lemon juice and a little salt. Slowly bring them to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 3
Drain and then cool the brain and gizzards under running cold water and drain well. Remove as many of their membranes as possible and cut them into small pieces.
stage 4
Meanwhile, put the bread in a bowl, cover it with the milk and let it soak for 15 minutes. Squeeze out most of the milk and reserve the bread.
step 5
Sauté the onion in the butter in a skillet over medium low heat until the onion is translucent. Add the veal pie and cook for 5 minutes. Add the brain and gizzards and sauté for a further 5 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat. When cool, remove and slice the meat, reserving the pan juices.
step 6
In a bowl, combine the chopped meat, pan juices, pistachios (if using), marjoram, eggs, peas, bread, and Parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
step 7
Put the broth in a large saucepan with the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and peppercorns and bring to a boil.
step 8
Meanwhile, make a horizontal cut along the longest side of the brisket if the butcher hasn’t already done so, leaving the other three sides uncut. Expand this to make a pocket about the length and width of the meat. Push the filling into this pocket loosely as it will swell as it cooks. Carefully sew up the opening and any other holes the butcher may have cut when deboning.
step 9
When the broth is boiling, gently lower the veal into the saucepan. Lower the heat and simmer for about 2 hours.
step 10
Remove the meat from the pan and place it between two plates. Put a weight on top of the plate and leave the meat until it cools. Serve, sliced thin, with a salad of French beans and tomatoes, tossed with olive oil and vinegar.
Preparation time
1 hour, then 2 hours of cooking plus refrigeration. Delicious.