I imagine this as the spectacular centerpiece of a big family holiday meal. Although the dish is actually fairly simple to prepare, it will be a tremendous hit. The veal comes out very tender and it is easy to carve either in the kitchen or at the table side.
Ingredients To: Serve-8
5 lbs rack of veal
2 tbs minced fresh thyme
1 tbs minced fresh rosemary
1 tbs crushed garlic
1 tbs black peppercorns
1 tbs kosher salt
2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs celery seed
Cayenne Spatzel
1 cup all purpose flour
5 each eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tbs zest1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs chives
To Prepare The Rack: The rack of veal is a large piece of meat that you can usually special - order from your favorite butcher. Ask the butcher to trim the rack "French style" -that is, to remove the shoulder blade and flap of meat over the rack as well as trimming down the bones. If the "French style" rack can be tied, it will sit better, but this is not imperative.
To Roast The Veal: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl combine the thyme, rosemary, garlic, black peppercorns, kosher salt and olive oil. Season the rack with the mixture. Put the veal on a roaster rack with the bones down and place in the center of the oven. Roast the meat for 30 minutes then turn the rack and lower the heat to 350 degrees. After another 20 minutes remove the rack. Roll the veal in the celery seeds then return it to the oven to finish. The meat needs only about 15 more minutes to brown well. Remove the veal from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes in a warm spot over the oven. This resting stage will prevent the juices from running out of the meat, which would result in a tougher, drier roast.
To Serve: Place the veal on a large carving board. Slice the meat in 1- inch- thick pieces. Give the roasted bones to your favorites at the table.
To prepare the spatzel: Combine the flour and eggs, and mix in the milk leaving it very pasty. Work it with a plastic spatula developing the elasticity of the paste (like soft taffy). Season it with salt, cayenne, and lemon zest.
To cook the spatzel: Use plenty of boiling water with salt. To cook the freeform spatzel, use a colander placed over the boiling water. Spoon some of the mixture into a colander. Using a plastic spatula, rub the mixture through the holes into the water. As it rises to the top, the spetzel is cooked. Skim the spetzel off and put it in a pan with 1 tbs of olive oil and sauté for one minute, then add the chives. Serve immediately