With cooler weather comes more opportunities for cooking! Todays’ recipe isn’t necessarily gross, like last week’s bananas ‘n’ bacon, but the picture is disgusting. Plus, the name is just funny.
Veal Birds – veal round steak, bread crumbs, butter, onion, sage and salt combine to make a lovely centerpiece to your dinner creation. Why these are called “Veal Birds” is beyond me. They don’t even look like birds once they’re rolled up. Basically, these are thin cuts of veal stuffed with bread crumbs, covered with gravy and baked. They suggest serving them with parsleyed carrots which are the same color as the veal in the picture below. Note the unappetizing red gravy. This is like a dinnertime massacre.
Veal Birds with Parsleyed Carrots – Yummy!
Pretty Pretty Bang Bang 
Looking at this photo makes me think that my chances of converting you all to vegetarianism is slightly increased.
Yuk. I mean, seriously. They look like intestines just pulled from the gut of a large mammal.
Omg, you’re right! They do look like intestines. Ewww!
I was pretty curious as to why they’re called “veal birds.” I’ve tasted/heard of veal chop (French) and veal scallopini (Italian), but not veal birds. So I went a-Googlin’.
The answer: It’s a term for the cut of meat, not how the finished product looks on the plate. Lobel’s, an expensive butcher in New York, http://www.lobels.com/guide/vealfs.htm , explains that “Veal birds are actually cutlets. They come from the eye of the cutlet and are sometimes called fillet of veal. The bone is removed, and then they are pounded and rolled. Veal birds are sometimes stuffed. Best cooking method: Bake or braise.” Southernfood.about.com also had some other veal recipes where cutlets are stuffed with dressing and served with a gravy or sauce.
Vegetarians beware! 🙂
Ok, that explains the title, but can you explain the look of the finished product?! I know, I know, it’s all in the printing process of the time. Still, this makes for fun blogging.
I wonder if it’s the photography and printing so much as what midcentury eyes found appealing.
Much like when I was about 13 and jr. high boys wore rolled-up khaki shorts into which they tucked their polo shirts.