To mince veal is a traditional British recipe, based on Hannah Glasse's recipe of 1747, for a classic dish of finely-sliced veal cooked in water flavoured with lemon juice that's served with sippets of bread. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: To mince veal.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Hannah Glasse's 1747 volume The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, the classic Georgian cookbook.
Original Recipe
To mince veal
CUT your veal as fine as posſibble, but don't chop it ; grate a little nutmeg over it, ſhred a little flour over it. To a large plate of veal, take four or five ſpoonfuls of water, let it boil, then put in the veal, with a piece of butter as big as an egg, ſtir it well together ; when it is all through hot, it is enough. Have ready a very thin piece of bread toaſted brown, cut it into three-corner ſippets, lay it round the plate, and pour in the veal. Juſt before your pour it it, ſqueeze in half a lemon, or half a ſpoonful of vinegar, Garniſh with lemon. You may put gravy in the room of water, if you love it ſtrong, but it is better without.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
400g veal
freshly-grated nutmeg, to taste
75ml water
4 tbsp butter
1 thin slice of bread, toasted until nicely browned
juice of 1/2 lemon
Method:
Take the veal and slice it as thinly as your can. Take the slices and again slice these lengthways as thinly as possible. Take the strips and slice them crossways as thinly as possible so that you end up with very small pieces of veal of an even size that have been sliced rather than being chopped. Season the veal with nutmeg, to taste, and set aside.
Add the water to a pan, bring to a boil then stir in the veal. Add the butter and stir until the butter has melted. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer then cover and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until all the ingredients are thoroughly hot.
Stir in the lemon juice and take off the heat. In the meantime, toast a very thin slice of bread until browned but not crisp. Cut into eight triangles (quarter and then cut each triangle in half). Arrange the veal mixture in the centre of a serving dish and set the bread triangles around the outside as a garnish. Serve immediately.
