Veal Rissoles is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of leftover cooked veal that's minced with ham, flavoured with herbs and bound with eggs and breadcrumbs before being shaped into balls, fried and served with gravy. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Veal Rissoles.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
VEAL RISSOLES (Cold Meat Cookery).
901. INGREDIENTS.—A few slices of cold roast veal, a few slices of ham or bacon, 1 tablespoonful of minced parsley, 1 tablespoonful of minced savoury herbs, 1 blade of pounded mace, a very little grated nutmeg, cayenne and salt to taste, 2 eggs well beaten, bread crumbs.
Mode.—Mince the veal very finely with a little ham or bacon; add the parsley, herbs, spices, and seasoning; mix into a paste with an egg; form into balls or cones; brush these over with egg, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and fry a rich brown. Serve with brown gravy, and garnish the dish with fried parsley.
Time.—About 10 minutes to fry the rissoles.
Seasonable from March to October.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
8 slices of cold, roast, veal
2 slices of cooked ham
1 tbsp parsley, finely minced
1 tbsp savoury herbs, finely minced
1/4 tsp ground mace
freshly-grated nutmeg, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
2 eggs, well beaten
100g breadcrumbs (about)
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
200ml beef stock
Method:
Mince the veal and ham very finely then combine in a bowl with the herbs, spices, salt and black pepper. Add 1 egg and mix thoroughly to combine. Form the resultant mixture into balls and brush with the remaining egg (which should be well beaten).
Coat evenly with the breadcrumbs and set aside. Melt the butter in a pan, add the breaded meatballs and fry until well browned and cooked through. Remove the meatballs and set aside to keep warm. Scatter the flour over the pan and stir to form a smooth roux. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes then whisk in the beef stock until smooth. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened.
Serve the meatballs accompanied by the gravy and garnished with fried parsley.
