The first thing to say, is that British Rose Veal is very different to white Veal, which understandably has had such bad press over the years. Rose Veal is backed by The RSPCA and Compassion in World Farming. This Rose Veal Escalope recipe with a creamy mushroom sauce and rosemary roasted potatoes is a delicious way to enjoy it.
An escalope is a thin slice of meat without any bone that's typically fried and served with a sauce. In this recipe, it's served with a thick creamy mushroom sauce and diced potatoes roasted with rosemary which so go well with the delicate flavour of the veal.
Rose Veal is not a common meat, so if you've not come across it before, you've probably got some questions. From a sustainability and ethical point of view, we should probably understand what Rose Veal actually is and why it's not the same as white veal.
Veal Q&A
Rose Veal comes from male calves that are born to cows in the dairy industry. As they obviously won't go on to produce milk themselves, they have little commercial value and many are exported to the continent. Increasingly, British farmers are now rearing these calves for Rose Veal. The more Rose Veal we eat, the fewer calves will be exported. These calves are fed on a good fibre diet which makes the meat pink, rather than white.
The RSPCA and Compassion in World Farming have both given their ethical stamp of approval to British Rose Veal. The calves are raised in a similar way to lambs and sheep and are slaughtered at 6 - 8 months which is actually older than lamb and pigs. Infact, this rose veal is sometimes also just called 'young beef.'
British Rose Veal has a lighter beef flavour, is very tender and is also low in fat. You can use it in lots of recipes instead of Beef. You can also substitute it in some Pork recipes
Many local butchers will stock Rose Veal, but you may need to ask for it. There are also plenty of high quality ethical on-line butchers who deliver and stock it. You'll also find it in some UK supermarkets such as Sainsbury's, Tesco, M&S and Waitrose.
Rose Veal can often be cooked like beef and can also be substituted in some pork recipes. You can use rose veal mince in this Pork Meatballs recipe or diced rose veal in this Pork Stroganoff
How to cook Rose Veal Escalope
Step 1 
Step 2 
Step 3 
Step 4
- Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7. Pour the oil into a roasting tray and heat in the oven. Meanwhile, bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Peel and chop the potatoes into 2cm cubes, bring back to a boil then simmer for 3 minutes.
- Tip the potato cubes into the heated roasting tray, add the rosemary and garlic, season with black pepper and give it all a quick stir. Roast in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes then remove and keep warm.
- Meanwhile, add a little oil or butter to a large frying pan. Season the veal on both sides and pan fry each steak over a high heat for 2 - 3 minutes each side, depending on thickness. Remove to a plate, cover and keep warm. Veal is young beef so can be eaten rare, medium or well done. It's also important to let the meat rest to allow the juices to circulate. This will make the meat tender.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir fry in the meat juices until browned. Reduce the heat to medium and add the cream then simmer for around 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with black pepper.
- At the same time, simmer the broccoli for 4 - 5 minutes until tender.
- Serve the veal with the mushroom sauce, rosemary potatoes and broccoli
Rose Veal Escalope with Mushroom Sauce and Rosemary Potatoes
Ingredients
- 40 ml vegetable oil organic
- 1 kg potatoes organic, floury variety such as Maris Piper, Desiree or King Edward
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary organic, leaves only
- 2 garlic cloves organic, peeled and crushed
- 1 dash salt
- 1 dash black pepper organic, fairtrade, freshly ground
- 4 Rose Veal Escalopes about 200g each
- 300 g button mushrooms organic, sliced
- 300 ml single cream organic
- 500 g broccoli organic, or other green seasonal vegetables
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7. Pour the oil into a roasting tray and heat in the oven. Meanwhile, bring a pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Peel and chop the potatoes into 2cm cubes, bring back to a boil then simmer for 3 minutes.
- Tip the potato cubes into the heated roasting tray, add the rosemary and garlic, season with black pepper and give it all a quick stir. Roast in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes then remove and keep warm.
- Meanwhile, add a little oil to a large frying pan. Season the veal on both sides and pan fry each steak over a high heat for 2 - 3 minutes each side, depending on thickness. Remove to a plate, cover and keep warm. Veal is young beef so can be eaten rare, medium or well done.
- Add the mushrooms to the pan and stir fry in the meat juices until browned. Reduce the heat to medium and add the cream then simmer for around 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with black pepper.
- At the same time, simmer the broccoli for 4 - 5 minutes until tender.
- Serve the veal with the mushroom sauce, rosemary potatoes and broccoli
Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
David Kingdon
Not a difficult recipe (even for me), but quite delicious.
REALMEALDEAL
Thanks David. Glad you liked it. My aim was to write something quite simple to encourage people to give Rose Veal a try.
Brenda
I used a condensed mushroom soup when I forgot to buy the mushrooms.... It was OK and I added some cream to it. Need to be better organised next time