I recently spent five weeks in Paris, staying in the sixth arrondisement of Saint Germain. My apartment was right around the corner from the local street market and I loved strolling up and down the long line of fresh meat, fish, and vegetable vendors, dreaming of what I would cook for my next meal!

One thing I noticed was how many butchers were selling ready-made Paupiettes de Veau in their stalls! These are thin slices of veal wrapped around a stuffing, tied with string and then braised in flavored stock. As a graduate of the Paris Cordon Bleu, I was already a little familiar with this dish, but hadn’t yet prepared it myself. Since the market butchers had already assembled these little parcels (paupiettes), I then jumped at the chance of cooking them myself!

Paupiette de Veau from Paris street market

But first a little background and tips!

The history of paupiettes of veau dates back to thirteenth century Italy, when a Milanese chef introduced thin slices of veal wrapped around a stuffing of herbs, spices, pine nuts and bacon. Over the centuries, this dish became a popular part of French regional cooking. evolving into the stuffed parcel (paupiette) that we know today.

For the stuffing, you could use either ground pork, veal, or even lamb, but pork is the most popular. In order to boost the flavor of this dish, I even added several links of Italian sausage to my ground pork, as well as some toasted pine nuts, and a little spiced tomato sauce.

The braising liquid for the veal parcels often consists of chicken stock combined with aromatics of onion, carrots, and celery, combined with white wine. However, I served my dish with a delicious Mushroom Cream Sauce.

Let’s get started!

Use top round veal for this recipe that has been pounded into a thin rectangular shape. Lay the veal on a flat surface with the long side on top. Place a scoop of stuffing in the center of the veal.

Close the sides of the veal into the center, starting with the short sides first, followed by the long sides. Turn the packet over so the smooth side of the veal is facing up. Wrap a single slice of bacon around the outside.

To finish, cut a piece of butcher’s string so that it measures 3 times the width of the veal packet. Place the string underneath the veal, bring the ends into the center forming a cross, then tie the string on the underside of the veal.

To cook the veal and make the mushroom sauce:

Brown both sides of the veal in a little olive oil and butter, then remove from the pan. Using the residual fat from the pan, saute’ the onions and garlic until soft, then add the chicken (or beef) stock. Place the veal packets back in the pan with the liquid, cover with a lid and cook for about 15 minutes until the stuffing is cooked through.

Remove the veal from the pan again, reduce the sauce by about 30%, add the diced mushrooms and cook for 5-10 minutes. Thicken the sauce with a little cornstarch if necessary, then stir in the cream.

To serve, remove the string from the veal, slice into 3-4 pieces, add the mushroom cream sauce and serve with vegetables on the side.