A whole number of celebrity chefs have done their best to change the country's opinion on eating veal. The latest of which was Jimmy Doherty with his series 'Jimmy and the Giant Supermarket'. Still, the British public think it's 'cruel to eat veal'. The truth is it's cruel not to eat it. If there was a thriving market for British rose veal, these poor veal calves would not be shot senselessly at birth but would be reared for purpose under much higher welfare standards then outside the UK. Read the facts from Jimmy here.
I have long been a fan of veal, especially as it favours very well on a low fat diet such as WeightWatchers. It's not cheap by any means, in fact veal escalopes are the same price £29.99) per kilo as fillet steak at my local butchers. I am beginning to find that it is becoming much more accessible in the supermaket. Shame Tesco did not see Jimmy's veal meatballs as a viable product for the mass market, but Waitrose and Sainsburys offer veal products at reasonable cost. In any case, I am always a sucker for a reduced item as in the freezer it goes till I am ready to knock something scrummy up with it!
You'll need for 5 adults or 4 adult portions and 2 kids:
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, finely diced
- 1 stick celery, finely diced
- 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 500g veal mince (always use British rose veal)
- 475g pasta, tagliatelle, fettucine or spaghetti (that's 95g per person)
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- Handful fresh basil
- Seasoning
- Pinch of sugar
- A chicken stock cube or liquid chicken stock
Method:
In a large non-stick frying pan add the olive oil and saute the onions on a low heat. Add the celery and carrots and continue to soften in the pan. Add some of the chicken stock if a little dry.
After a good 10 minutes or so when the vegetables are soft, turn up to a high heat and add the meat and brown all over. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree. Fill up the tin from the tomatoes with chicken stock or water. Slowly add half of this liquid with the stock cube or liquid concentrate.
Stir well, turn down to a simmer and allow to cook slowly for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add a pinch of sugar. Finish with the freshly chopped basil.
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, drain and toss into the sauce. Serve in pasta bowls with plenty of parmesan cheese to serve.
WeightWatchers ProPoints Per Serving: 13
I have a problem with cooked tomato skin. I just cannot bear it. It ruins the eating experience of a tomato, getting stuck to one side of your mouth spoiling the delicious flesh part. Raw tomatoes are less of an issue for me, but cooked ones simply must have their skins removed. This poses a problem when cooking with cherry tomatoes as de-skinning is time consuming.
My husband has, on occasion, blanched, cooled and de-skinned, by hand, 1kg of the wonderful datterini tomato (a delicious grape like tomato). This has taken him several hours. How nice that he may have the time to do this on a Saturday afternoon with a glass of wine in hand, but for me, a busy Stay At Home Mum (sorta) I need to find a much quicker way of losing the little blighters as spitting them out onto my plate is hardly good table etiquette.
This dish has been in my repertoire for a couple of years. The tomato sauce can be used in a variety of ways but I love combining it with some king prawns, freshly griddled and tossed in at the end. Try it with diced roasted aubergine or black olives and capers. Oh and don't forget; Italians NEVER serve parmesan cheese with any kind of fish/seafood pasta, but hey if you like it on your prawns, who am I to stop you?!
You'll need for 2:
- 350g cherry tomatoes, or a couple of small punnets
- 1-2 garlic cloves, bashed
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Good pinch of chilli flakes or a fresh chili finely chopped
- 150 - 175g raw king prawns
- Glug of white wine
- Handful of fresh parsley
- 200g linguine or spaghetti
What to do:
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and saute the onion. Add the garlic and turn the heat right down so you slowly cook the onions and garlics until soft without browning them. This will take a few minutes.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and add these to the pan with some seasoning. Turn the heat up to get some heat back in the pan and when the tomatoes start sizzling turn it back down. Add a pinch of chilli flakes or the fresh chilli and allow to cook gently for 10 minutes or so. Now for the tomato skin removal. Turn the heat off and using 2 teaspoons, gently tease the skin away from the flesh. You can of course completely avoid this step but I personally feel you get a much purer taste if you spend a few minutes doing this. If the skins don't come away easily then let them cook for a little longer and try again. I often prepare the sauce up to this stage in advance
Cook your pasta according to the packet instructions in salted water. Once drained, reserve some of the cooking liquor.
Once all the skins are removed, turn the heat up a little and add the wine allowing it to bubble away for a couple of minutes. Add the drained pasta and some of the cooking liquor to the tomato mix and toss thoroughly. Stir through the parsley
Meanwhile heat a griddle or frying pan. Spray the prawns with olive oil and season. Cook in the pan turning once for a couple of minutes on each side until the prawns are completely pink.
Toss the prawns through the pasta and serve up!
WeightWatchers PropPoints Per Serving: 12
After a good 10 minutes or so when the vegetables are soft, turn up to a high heat and add the meat and brown all over. Add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree. Fill up the tin from the tomatoes with chicken stock or water. Slowly add half of this liquid with the stock cube or liquid concentrate.
