Hamersley Does Holidays... Bistro Style

For Gordon and Fiona Hamersley, co-owners of Hamersley's Bistro in Boston's South End, the holiday season is a time to relax with their family at their rural Vermont home. And while good food is certainly part of the equation, not even a celebrated chef wants to spend his entire vacation over a hot stove. Below, Gordon shares a recipe for Veal breast stuffed with spinach, mushrooms and garlic that will impress guests and delight their palates, while allowing holiday hosts to spend time with their company.

"This is a great dish for a dinner party," says Gordon. "It looks fancy and tastes fabulous, but it's not difficult to make. A simple side of buttered penne sprinkled with grated Asiago, and salad before or after, are all you need to complete the meal. And there's a bonus: the flavored oil that results from simmering the garlic cloves is great for brushing on steaks, for making a robust vinaigrette for salad, or for simply dipping bread into."

Fiona takes it one step further and offers the following advice for choosing a wine: "Go with a medium-bodied Merlot, one that's not too flabby, meaning it has some acidity but also plenty of berry fruit. A Cabernet Franc from Washington state or California would be another good choice."

Note to editors: Photos of this dish and of Gordon Hamersley are available upon request, and Gordon is available for interviews. Please call 617-577-8098 or email jo@civettacom.com.

Ciao,
Nancy & Jo

VEAL BREAST STUFFED WITH SPINACH, MUSHROOMS AND GARLIC
From Bistro Cooking At Home (Broadway Books, 2003)
By Gordon Hamersley

Serves 4 to 6.

About 3/4 cup olive oil
6 whole peeled garlic cloves
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 portabella mushrooms or about 4 ounces crimini mushrooms, cleaned, stemmed, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 medium oyster mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
5 ounces spinach, well washed and stemmed, about 5 cups
One 4- to 4 1/2-pound piece of boneless veal breast, excess fat removed
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cups dry sherry
2 cups veal stock or chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Heat the olive oil and garlic cloves in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and simmer until the garlic is very tender, about 20 minutes. (If the garlic is not submerged, add more oil.) The cloves may brown slightly, but keep the heat low enough so that they don't brown too much. Allow the garlic to cool in the oil. Remove the garlic cloves and reserve both the garlic and the oil.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the reserved garlic oil and the butter in a large sauti pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Raise the heat to high and add the mushrooms. Add a good amount of salt-at least 1/2 teaspoon-and some pepper to taste. Cook the mushrooms, without stirring, until they brown well on one side. Give them a stir and continue to cook, adding additional butter or oil as necessary, until the mushrooms release their juices, the juices evaporate, and the mushrooms become tender, about 10 minutes. Add the thyme and the reserved garlic cloves and cook another minute. Cool and reserve.

In another pan, heat about 1/2 cup water over medium-high heat. Add about 1/2 teaspoon salt and the spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Drain the spinach and run it under cold tap water to stop the cooking. Squeeze the spinach dry in a fine-mesh strainer or in a clean kitchen towel. Add the spinach to the mushrooms and garlic. Mix thoroughly so the spinach is evenly distributed through the mushrooms. Allow the mushroom mixture to cool.

Lay the veal breast out on a cutting board, with the fattier side facing up. Using a rubber spatula, spread the mustard all over