This Vitello Contadina is a classic Italian dish featuring a tender veal top round stuffed with earthy porcini mushrooms, aromatic rosemary, and salty pancetta. The meat is roasted slowly to ensure it remains juicy and flavorful, while the stuffing infuses every bite with rich, savory notes. Perfect for a Sunday dinner or a special occasion, this dish combines simple ingredients into an elegant meal. The addition of white wine and vermouth creates a delicious pan sauce that complements the meat beautifully. Serve with roasted potatoes or crusty bread to soak up the flavorful juices.
Vitello Contadina
Description
This Vitello Contadina is a classic Italian dish featuring a tender veal top round stuffed with earthy porcini mushrooms, aromatic rosemary, and salty pancetta. The meat is roasted slowly to ensure it remains juicy and flavorful, while the stuffing infuses every bite with rich, savory notes. Perfect for a Sunday dinner or a special occasion, this dish combines simple ingredients into an elegant meal. The addition of white wine and vermouth creates a delicious pan sauce that complements the meat beautifully. Serve with roasted potatoes or crusty bread to soak up the flavorful juices.Ingredients
Directions
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Soak the dried porcini mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes, then drain, reserving the liquid. Rinse the mushrooms in cool water, drain again, and chop coarsely.
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Strain the reserved mushroom soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any grit.
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Make a deep incision down the center of the veal top round, being careful not to cut all the way through, and gently open it out flat like a book.
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Trim off any irregular pieces of meat from the edges to create a neat, compact shape, and reserve the trimmings.
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Place the rosemary sprigs along the center of the flattened veal.
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Top with half of the pancetta slices, overlapping them slightly.
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Sprinkle with chopped parsley and top with the remaining pancetta, bay leaves, grated nutmeg, and coarsely ground pepper.
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Spread the chopped porcini mushrooms over the pancetta layer.
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Top with the reserved meat trimmings.
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Roll the meat up tightly and tie securely with kitchen twine, wrapping once around the length and several times around the circumference.
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Pat the exterior of the roast dry with paper towels.
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Melt the butter in a deep casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat.
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Add the garlic cloves and cook until golden brown, about 6 minutes, then remove and discard the garlic.
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Place the stuffed veal roast in the casserole and season with salt.
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Brown the roast on all sides until lightly golden, about 15 to 20 minutes.
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Pour in the white wine and vermouth, basting the meat with the liquids.
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Cover the casserole, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, turning and basting occasionally, for 15 minutes.
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Stir in the ground almonds and 1/2 cup of the reserved mushroom soaking liquid.
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Continue cooking, covered, turning and basting occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes longer.
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Transfer the roast to a carving board and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.
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While the meat rests, boil the sauce in the casserole until lightly reduced.
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Remove the twine and slice the roast into 1/2-inch thick slices.
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Spoon the sauce over the sliced meat and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 6
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 679.3kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 23.8g37%
- Saturated Fat 8.7g44%
- Cholesterol 321.8mg108%
- Sodium 274.1mg12%
- Total Carbohydrate 0.0g0%
- Dietary Fiber 0.0g0%
- Sugars 0.0g
- Protein 107.3g215%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
The soaking liquid from the porcini mushrooms is very flavorful; be sure to strain it well to avoid gritty texture in the sauce.
If fresh rosemary is unavailable, you can use the dried rosemary listed in the ingredients, but add it during the stuffing phase rather than using sprigs.
This dish can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated before roasting; allow extra cooking time if starting from cold.
Slice the veal against the grain for the most tender bite.
