Lafões Style Roast Veal

This dish is typical of Beira Alta, northern Portugal, and is traditionally made with veal.
It's not always served with rice, but it makes all the difference and is divine.
Traditionally, it's cooked in a wood-fired oven, but you can also use an electric or gas oven.
Serve this dish with cooked turnip greens.

Neuza Costa

6 May, 2023

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg of veal or veal loin flap
• Coarse salt
• Black pepper
• 2 heaping teaspoons of sweet paprika or smoked sweet paprika
• 5 bay leaves
• 4 sliced garlic cloves
• 2 large onions, cut into small wedges
• Sprigs of fresh parsley
• 150 ml of olive oil
• ½ liter of white wine
• 1 liter (35.2 fl oz) of homemade vegetable or meat broth
• 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of small potatoes for roasting (halve if too large)
• 250 g (0.55 lbs or approximately 1 1/4 cups) of parboiled rice

Instructions:

1. Cut the meat into large pieces.
2. In a large oven-safe dish, preferably clay, spread the onion on the bottom.
   Place the meat on top.
   Season with salt, pepper, paprika, add the garlic, bay leaves torn in half, and half of the olive oil.
   With your hands, mix the meat well with the seasonings.
   Add the parsley sprigs to the meat, mixing well.
   Pour the white wine and the remaining olive oil over everything.
3. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
4. When ready to cook, pour the broth over the meat until it's submerged.
   Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F) and roast for 1 hour.
5. After an hour, remove the meat from the oven, turn it over, and return it to the oven for another hour.
6. After another hour, remove the meat, turn it over again, and use a ladle to remove 400 ml (14.1 fl oz) of the cooking liquid.
   Add the potatoes to the meat dish and return it to the oven.
   In another clay dish or pot, place the rice and the reserved 400 ml (14.1 fl oz) of cooking liquid along with 700 ml (24.6 fl oz) of hot water.
   Also, place it in the oven and cook everything for another 50 minutes.
7. After this time, when the rice is cooked and toasted and the meat and potatoes are cooked, remove everything from the oven.
   Serve immediately, accompanied by cooked turnip greens.

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