Ingredients

• 2 (5-pound) boxes kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups primary veal stock, recipe follows
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1 small clove garlic, mashed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 head fillet of beef, about 2 1/4 pounds
• 18 to 20 fresh or canned grape leaves, thoroughly dried
• 6 small boleti or large shiitake mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 3/4 cups fresh Italian bread crumbs
• 3 paper-thin slices prosciutto, very finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped pine nuts
• 10 pounds veal breast or other meats
• 2 cups dry white wine, preferably Sauvignon Blanc, or water
• 10 quarts water
• 6 medium yellow onions, quartered
• 4 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
• 10 large leeks, white and green parts, well washed, coarsely chopped
• 1 center pale yellow celery rib with leaves
• 4 cloves
• Large bouquet garni of 30 parsley stems, 2 large sprigs fresh thyme and 2 small or 1 large bay leaf
• 2 (1/2-inch) chicken bouillon cubes or 2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Pour the boxes of salt into a large braising pot and heat in the oven until unbearably hot to the top of the hand. Meanwhile, place the veal stock in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and reduce to 1 cup. Add the lemon rind, capers, garlic, parsley and pepper, to taste. Keep warm in a hot water bath to prevent further reduction.
2. Trim the fillet, removing all traces of fat and silver skin between the muscles. Tie the roast with fine string at 1-inch intervals. Blanch the fresh grape leaves for 1 second in boiling water so they can bend easily. Cool them, then remove their stems and central rib. Eliminate these steps if using canned leaves. Roll the meat into the leaves and tie at 1/4-inch intervals.
3. Using a large measuring cup with a handle, remove 2/3 of the hot salt to a medium roasting pan. Arrange the meat on the bottom layer of salt and immediately cover it with the reserved salt, to cover completely. Turn the oven temperature down to 400 degrees F and roast about 25 minutes. Remove the meat from the oven when it reaches an internal temperature of 110 degrees F. Keep the meat wrapped in the leaves, and let rest 5 minutes.
4. Remove all strings and leaves, slice, and serve with the caper sauce and the garnish of stuffed mushrooms.
5. Prepare the mushrooms: Wash and dry the mushrooms; cut the edible part of their stems into 1/4-inch dice and set aside. Using a melon baller, remove all the foamy "tubes" inside the cap of each mushroom and discard them.
6. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and sear the mushrooms 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Remove them to an ovenproof baking dish, hollow side up, and season with salt and pepper.
7. Add the onion to the same skillet and cook until translucent. Adding more oil if needed, stir in the mushroom stem dice, bread crumbs, prosciutto, parsley, basil and nuts; mixing together until well blended and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until heated throughout. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
8. Spoon an equal amount of the mixture into each mushroom cap. Drizzle more olive oil over the top of each mushroom and bake 10 to 15 minutes in the same oven as the beef.
9. Note: The USDA recommends that beef be cooked to an internal temperature of 130 degrees F, but Madeleine prefers to remove the fillet from the oven when its internal temperature has reached 110 degrees. The meat continues to cook as it rests, resulting in a fillet that is rare to medium-rare.
10. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the meat into large chunks and remove as much fat as possible. Place the meat in a large roasting pan and roast until all the juices in the pan have browned to a deep golden russet color, about 45 minutes, careful not to burn the juices.
11. Transfer the meat to a large stockpot. Discard the fat in the roasting pan. Place the roasting pan over medium-high heat and add the wine, scraping up the golden brown glaze at the bottom of the pan. Add this to the stockpot together with the 10 quarts water. Bring to a boil, add the vegetables, cloves, bouquet garni, and bouillon cubes or salt. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer about 4 hours or until broth has a rich beef flavor; skimming off any scum from the surface during cooking. It may be necessary to add warm water to the pot during cooking to keep the water level approximately even throughout cooking.
12. Once the stock is finished cooking, remove from heat and allow to cool to a more manageable temperature, about 160 degrees F or higher. Strain the stock through a fine-meshed strainer either directly into storage containers or into a large bowl from which it can then be transferred into smaller storage containers. Once stock is in the storage containers, cool it down quickly by placing the containers into an ice water bath. Once cooled completely, cover and refrigerate.
13. Keep containers refrigerated until all the fat has risen to the surface and hardened. To remove, break the solidified fat and discard. The stock is now ready to use. Keep refrigerated for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 6 months. To keep refrigerated stock longer, re-boil it every fourth day. Re-boil frozen stock for up to 5 minutes before using to prevent spoilage.
14. Yield: 10 quarts