Veal is the flesh from valves or young cattle, relied on heavily in European countries including France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands. It is consumed to a lesser extent in the United Kingdom and in North America, presumably over moral concerns over issues like disapproval in the rearing methods of young calves, and is hardly utilized at all in the dishes of Russia, and Middle Eastern and Asian countries. Veal has been appearing in recipes since at least classical Roman times, and it has also been long-prized for the gelatinous stock that its bones can be used to make. Minced, with its close texture and mild flavor, it can be a valuable ingredient in pates, galantines, stuffings, and veal loaf. No matter the recipe, veal tends to require cooking with gentle heat, or the meat will be in risk of becoming too dry. Veal is considered well-done at 160 degrees Fahrenheit, but many prefer it cooked to 140 degrees, removed from the heat at 135. Raw, its flesh should be very pale pink, soft, and moist.
The USDA has assigned six quality grades to veal, which are Prime, Choice, Good, Standard, Utility, and Cull, respectively. Standard, Utility, and Cull are rarely sold in retail outlets.
While veal can come from calves up to twelve months old, the best veal is considered to come from young animals between 2 ½ months to 3 months in age, especially if the animal has been exclusively milk-fed. This produces a near-white meat which is prized in continental Europe. Formula-fed veal comes from calves up to 4 months old who have been fed a special diet of milk solids, fats, various nutrients, and water. Bob veal applies to calves younger than one month old, whose meat has a soft texture and a very bland taste. In all true veal, the animal has not been allowed to eat any grains or grasses, as this would cause its flesh to darken. Ideally, veal weighs in at 150 - 200 pounds.
It is also possible to find "humanely raised" veal, which the USDA refers to as "calf." Calf tends to be rosy pink in color, rather than pinkish-greyish-white. While still tender, it can be slightly chewier than true veal. The upside to this meat is that fewer consumers object to the methods in which it is raised. It is not "crate-raised" and rarely fed milk loaded with antibiotics and steroids like normal veal often is, and some calves are even allowed to roam free with their mothers. Among these "humanely raised" calves are "grey" veal, which comes from older animals whose meat has sometimes been hung for 2-3 days of aging. Grey veal contains more water than true veal, and lacks the mature flavor of well-hung beef, but it suits light dishes such as blanquette.
Veal has very little marbling, and its hard to spot it as the fat is practically the same color as the meat. What fat that is present should look like white satin - If there is too much of it, it is a sign that the calf was overfed.
The American cuts of veal are the Shoulder, Blade, Rib, Loin, Sirloin, Leg (round), Boneless Rump Roast, Round Steak, Breast, and Fore Shank. A veal fillet refers to both the undercut of the loin and the long, narrow muscle from the leg. The thin round or oval pieces from the fillet are used for escalopes, as they are known in France, Italy, and Central Europe, or schnitzel, as its known in Germany. Italian scaloppini (US scallops) are cut from the leg fillet, while the medaillons (round slices) and grenadins (little steaks) of French cuisine are cut from either the loin or the leg fillet.
The offals from calves are the most prized offal meat, particularly the liver, sweetbreads, kidneys, and spinal marrow. The head, brains, tongue, feet, and mesentery are also valued.
To elaborate on cooking methods, parts best suited for roasting are rib roast, shoulder roast, loin roast, and breast roast, while one would braise or stew the blade steak, shoulder steak or roast, rib chop, loin chop, sirloin steak, top round steak, cutlet, riblet, breast roast, and shanks. Pan-frying best suits blade steak, shoulder steak, rib chop, loin chop, sirloin steak, top round steak, and cutlets, and broiling and grilling is good for rib chop, loin chop, sirloin steak, or cutlet. Grilling and high-heat roasting are generally not used, though, due to the little fat content found in the meat.
Probably as a result of the meat's neutral taste, cooks around the world disagree on the appropriate flavors and accompaniments for veal, but they all generally fall into three broad categories. First is the use of sharp flavors, such as lemon or acid vegetables like sorrel, spinach, or tomatoes, or the use of paprika and sour cream. Second is the addition of salted meat, including prosciutto, ham, or bacon. Third is with cheese, either grated into a coating mixture or as a slice melted on top. Eggs are also commonly used in stuffing and sauces, and the wine used in veal cookery is most often sweet in flavor, such as sherry, Marsala, or Madeira. Other seasonings and accompaniments common in cooking with veal include marjoram, sage, thyme, rosemary, mushrooms, onions, peppers, eggplant, dried apricots, anchovies, apples, artichokes, arugula, bacon, basil, bay leaves, bread crumbs, butter, capers, carrots, chervil, cider, cloves, pureed corn, cream, dill, endive, foie gras, garlic, grapefruit, ham, leeks, lime, morels, mustard, olive oil, pistachios, salmon, sweetbreads, tapenade, white truffles, tuna, and cottage cheese.
References:
Larousse Gastronomique; 2001; Pages 1261 - 1262
The Cooking Enthusiast; 2000 ; Pages 144, 156
Oxford Companion to Food; 1999; Pages 822 - 823
Culinary Artistry; 1996; Page 189
Food Lover's Companion; 2001; Pages 653 - 654
How to Cook Everything; 1998; Pages 443 - 444
Barnes & Noble Essentials of Cooking; 2001; Page 54 - 55
Joy of Cooking; 1997; Pages 678 - 679