Veal Rollatine

I don't know why I waited until now to cook all these veal recipes. Actually, I do know. It was hard to buy veal. I remember asking at one of the larger, more affluent Giants, where they actually had a separate section for more expensive meats, like beef fillet and stuffed rolled roasts. The guy told me there was no call for it, so they didn't carry it. My commitment to this cookbook rarely was so great that I would run all over town to find ingredients.
But, now, veal is available in the markets. This reminds me of a line in The Poor Poet's Cookbook, by Ann Rogers, a little volume of recipes for the novice cook. This cookbook was one of my favorite things to read in my student days. I was never a poor poet or any kind of poet, but I loved the little stories that went with the recipes. On veal, Rogers has this to say. "May, splendid in new green grass and flowers, is calf time in the cattle country. This means Poor Poet-priced veal in abundance in all the markets." Yeah, yeah, I know all about the heinous things done to calves. This is not milk-fed veal. But, anyway, these days, you can buy veal at Safeway and Giant. So, veal rollatine.
With the cucumbers, it does make rather a white meal, so noting some cookbook author's advice, (it may have been Alice, of Alice's Restaurant, the author of my first cookbook) I dug out the blue and white plates to eat it off lest my food be accused of being visually bland.

Veal Rollatine

6 veal scaloppine (about one and one-quarter pounds) lightly pounded
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
5 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
1 clove garlic, finelly minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
grated rind of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon fresh basil
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup fresh or canned chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the scaloppine on a flat surface and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Melt two tablespoons of the butter. Combine with the bread crumbs, garlic, cheese, parsley, lemon rind, thyme, basil, cream, salt, and pepper. Spread equal portions of this mixture on the veal slices. Roll each slice like a jellyroll and secure with toothpicks or string.
4. Melt remaining butter in a skillet, add veal rolls and brown on all sides. Transfer veal rolls to a casserole.
   
5. Sprinkle the flour over the fat remaining in the skillet and cook briefly. Add the broth and stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve the brown particles that cling to the bottom and sides of the skillet. Pour mixture over the veal and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice and bring to a boil. Cover and bake forty-five minutes.