Veal Olives

Don't let the name fool you, there are no olives in this dish. In fact, Veal Olives gets its name from the fact that the veal scaloppine looks a lot like a large olive once it's rolled and stuffed.

Because of the high cost of veal in colonial times, this dish would have only appeared in the cookbooks of the elite, like the Washingtons.

Stuffed with meat, oysters, or seafood and then served with a rich, spiked cream sauce, this dish is a culinary masterpiece.

Veal Olives
(Serves 6)

Filling
1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/8 cup mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/8 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/8 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 1 small lemon)
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Veal
6 (6- to 8-ounce) veal cutlets
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon butter

Sauce
2 cups Sherry Cream Sauce 
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions
Filling:
1. Pick over the crabmeat to discard the cartilage and pieces of shell.
2. Transfer the crabmeat to a medium mixing bowl.
3. Add the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, egg, bell peppers, onion, lemon juice, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
4.Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set.
5. Preheat the oven to 475°F.
6. Spread the butter evenly over the bottom of a large, shallow baking dish.
7. Pound the veal scallops until very thin, then season with salt and pepper.
8. Divide the filling into 6 equal amounts and place in the center of each veal cutlet.
9. Roll the cutlet gently around the filling.
10. Place the veal rolls in the prepared baking dish and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the stuffing is completely cooked through.

Sauce:
1. Heat the Sherry Cream Sauce in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and 3 tablespoons water to make a slurry.
3. Whisk the slurry into the sauce and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until thick.
4. Place the stuffed veal on a serving platter or divide among individual plates and top with the sauce.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Walter Staib, owner/operator of the City Tavern Restaurant in Philadelphia and host of the Emmy Award Winning Show, A Taste of History.