On the first Tuesday of every month we like to head down to Guildford High Street to marvel at all the delicious, locally produced foods and compile a recipe for you based on ingredients we have managed to buy- here’s our offering for the October Farmers Market. We try and support businesses by buying some tasty little treats and picking up fantastic fresh food to cook great meals for under £5 a person. Doing this, it shows that you don’t need to break the bank to eat healthy food that is locally grown, sourced, produced and manufactured.
This simple yet elegant meal is a luxurious treat at an affordable price. I chose Surrey Hills rosé veal cutlets because of their delicate flavour and versatility. Also, as a slightly fattier cut of veal, cutlets as opposed to an escalope are a delicious alternative. Combining the young beef with potatoes and parsnip, then adding a creamy mushroom and white wine sauce adds an eloquent twist to the quintessentially British meal template of ‘meat and two veg’. And all for under £5 per person! The potatoes, parsnips, mushrooms and onions, along with the veal, were all purchased from the Farmers Market and even their soft fragrance is remarkably different from supermarket produce. Yes, I do admit the white wine was supermarket bought and not included in the £10 budget for two, but I felt a lot of people do have some wine knocking around the house that they can throw in for cooking purposes. You could substitute the wine for stock if you are really strict on your budget, but it will give a slightly less rich taste to the sauce.
Ingredients:
2 rosé veal cutlets
2 potatoes
1 parsnip
1 onion
Mushrooms
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Basil
1/4 cup white wine
Single cream
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 2
Instructions:
- Peel and cube the potatoes and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper – to taste – and place in a baking tin in an oven pre-heated to gas mark 6, on the middle shelf, for 10 minutes.
- Peel and cube the parsnip, and once the 10 minutes have passed, add them to the potatoes giving the tray a shake to ensure the parsnips are evenly coated in oil and seasoning. Place back in the oven for a further twenty minutes.
- When the potatoes and parsnip have started to crisp and brown around the edges, it is time to start the veal.
- First chop and sauté the onion in a little olive oil in a frying pan until soft, then heat a separate frying pan with a knob of butter for the veal.
- Season the veal with salt and pepper – to taste – add a pinch of dried, chopped basil and then fry for 3-5 minutes either side on a medium heat.
- Once the veal has been browned on either side, transfer to the oven on a low shelf while you finish the sauce. Add the thinly sliced mushrooms to the pan with the onion along with any juices from the veal pan.
- Add the white wine and stir slowly on a low heat to allow the wine to absorb the flavours of the onion, mushroom and veal, whilst burning off the alcohol.
- Remove the veal from the oven and allow to rest for 5-8 minutes in the oven pan – this will keep the meat flavourful and moist and will prevent it from becoming dry.
- Slowly add the single cream to the pan mix- how much depends on how creamy you like your sauce – but add a little at a time to avoid burning the cream and over powering the flavour too early. Tasting as you go at this stage is essential!
- Serve up the veal cutlet in the centre of the plate before adding a generous scoopful of the crispy potato and parsnip mix to the side.
- Drizzle the creamy white wine sauce over the meat and finish with a sprinkling of fresh basil if you have any. Now enjoy this rich and delicate meal with the varied yet complimentary flavours that it offers!
Charli Aisha Harris