Stuff Veal
From the treasured pages of Cookbook
Unknown Author
Stuff Veal
"Take a leg whole or split, stuff it all in the inside with sweet herbs, shred with yolks of egges, bread crumbs, nutmeg, salt, limon pill, anchovis and oysters, capers a few, all this mix and stuff it with, lard it on the right side with bacon, stew or bay it, you sauce must be vineger Beat with butterr, nutmeg, limon pill till it be thick"
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is written in an almost conversational, abbreviation-heavy style, typical of early 18th-century English cookbooks. Clarifying spelling from the original: 'egges' means eggs, 'limon pill' is lemon peel (zest), 'anchovis' are anchovies, and 'bay' may imply 'braise' or stew. Ingredients are listed within the method, with few explicit measurements. The recipe leaves much to the cook’s intuition, expecting familiarity with contemporary kitchen practices, and reflecting a world before precise, step-by-step instructions became the norm.
Title
Cookbook (1706)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Unknown
Era
1706
Publisher
Unknown
Background
Step back to the early 18th century with this charming culinary collection, brimming with period recipes that tantalize the tastebuds and offer a delicious glimpse into historic kitchens.
Kindly made available by
Folger Shakespeare Library
This recipe dates to around 1706, a time when English cookery was undergoing transformation with the increasing use of imported ingredients and refined culinary techniques. Cookbooks of the era featured elaborate stuffed dishes as a mark of hospitality and skill. The inclusion of anchovies, oysters, and capers shows the influence of Continental tastes and the sophisticated palate of upper-class households of the early 18th century. Stuffed meat dishes, especially veal, were a centerpiece on grand tables, bridging medieval traditions of complex meat presentations with modern approaches to flavor and balance.
The kitchen of 1706 would have been equipped with a large hearth for roasting and stewing. Cooks would use sturdy knives for splitting the veal, mortars and pestles for pounding ingredients, and long-handled spoons for mixing and stuffing. A large cauldron or stew pot would simmer over coals or an open fire, with cooks adjusting the heat by moving pots closer or further from the flames. A larding needle could be used to thread strips of bacon into the meat, ensuring juiciness and flavor.
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
2 hrs
Servings
8
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 3–4 lb whole or split leg of veal
- 0.7 oz mixed sweet herbs (parsley, thyme, marjoram)
- 3 egg yolks (hard-boiled)
- 2 oz white bread crumbs
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 2 anchovy fillets (about 0.5 oz), finely chopped (or 1 tbsp anchovy paste as substitute)
- 3 oz oysters, chopped (or 2 oz drained tinned oysters if fresh unavailable)
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 3.5 oz bacon strips or lardons
- 1/2 cup vinegar (preferably white wine vinegar or cider vinegar)
- 1.75 oz butter
Instructions
- Begin by preparing a whole or split leg of veal, about 3–4 lb.
- For the stuffing, finely chop a generous handful (about 0.7 oz) of sweet herbs such as parsley, thyme, and marjoram.
- Mix these with three hard-boiled egg yolks, roughly crumbled.
- Add 2 oz fresh white bread crumbs, the grated zest of 1 lemon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, 2 finely chopped anchovy fillets, 3 oz chopped oysters (fresh or drained tinned), and a tablespoon of capers.
- Mix everything together to make a coarse stuffing.
- Stuff the cavity of the veal with this mixture.
- Lard the outside (particularly the right side) by wrapping or inserting 3.5 oz of bacon strips or lardons over and into the veal.
- Place the prepared veal in a large stew pot, and gently stew or braise it over low heat for up to 2 hours, adding a little water or stock as needed, until tender.
- For the sauce, reduce 1/2 cup vinegar with 1.75 oz butter, a pinch more grated nutmeg, and a little extra lemon zest, whisking until thickened and glossy.
- Serve thick slices of the stuffed veal with the warm sauce spooned over.
Estimated Calories
420 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 30 minutes to prepare the ingredients, including chopping herbs and making the stuffing, and around 2 hours to cook the veal slowly until tender. This dish serves 8 and each serving is estimated to have about 420 calories.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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