Spring Veal Stew Recipes

VEAL STEW WITH SPRING VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Brown the pieces of veal a few at a time in a heavy casserole in the oil and remove with a slotted spoon. Pour off any excess fat. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until soft.
• Add the white wine and stir, scraping up any cooking particles from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, thyme, lemon peel and salt and pepper and bring to boil. Turn down heat, cover and cook gently for one hour.
• Add the carrots and cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, in a steamer cook the new potatoes and turnips until tender (about 20 minutes). Cook the green beans and peas until tender (about five minutes). Add them to the stew and serve.

VEAL STEW WITH 40 CLOVES OF GARLIC

Steps:

• In a heavy casserole (which can go in the oven) brown batches of the veal in the oil until golden on all sides. As you brown the cubes, remove them to a platter. When they are all brown, add the leeks and carrots to the casserole and saute them for about 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. With a slotted spoon remove the cooked vegetables and discard the fat from the casserole.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Return the cooked leeks and carrots to the bottom of the casserole. Return the browned veal meat and place them over the vegetables. Add the wine and, over moderate heat, reduce the wine to almost nothing. Add the stock and bouquet garni and bring the liquid to a simmer. Add the garlic, salt and pepper. Cover the stew with a piece of foil with the edges turned upwards to catch the steam which will collect under the lid. Cover the casserole with a lid (or other piece of foil) and set in oven. Braise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is fork tender.
• Strain the solids from the liquid and keep warm. Remove excess fat and reduce liquid to 1 1/2 cups. Adjust the seasoning. Serve dusted with fresh dill. Accompany with rice, plain boiled potatoes or the mashed potatoes and spinach (see recipe below).

VEAL STEW WITH ARTICHOKE HEARTS, FAVA BEANS, AND PEAS

Steps:

• Prepare sachet d'epice Place the aromatics on a large piece of cheesecloth, gather the edges to enclose, and tie with kitchen twine.
• Blanch favas Prepare an ice-water bath in a large bowl for shocking the beans (which stops the cooking and preserves their color). Drop the fava beans into a large pot of boiling salted water until bright green and just tender, about 2 minutes. Lift out the peas with a slotted spoon (or a spider) and plunge into the ice-water bath. Once they are thoroughly cool, drain and peel off the tough outer skins.
• Cook veal and artichokes Pour the wine into a large saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 minute (to cook off some of the alcohol). Add veal, water, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and skim the foam from the surface with a slotted spoon (veal produces more surface foam than other meats, so this step is important). Add herb sachet and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook, uncovered, 1 hour, skimming the surface frequently. Add artichokes to the pot, submerging them partially in the liquid. Cook until the artichokes and veal are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, 20 to 30 minutes more, adding peas during last 3 minutes of cooking. Remove the sachet and squeeze out the liquid into the pot. Then strain the contents of the pot through a fine sieve into a bowl or large measuring cup, reserving veal, artichokes, and peas. You should have about 3 cups liquid.
• Thicken sauce Wipe out the pot and return it to the stove. First, make a roux by melting the butter over medium heat until foamy, swirling the pan to melt evenly, then whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Next, make a velouté by whisking the reserved liquid into the roux and bringing to a boil (again, always whisking), cooking until the mixture is smooth. (Classic culinary teaching would have you whisk cold stock into a hot roux, or vice versa, to prevent the sauce from forming lumps, but that isn't necessary as long as you whisk diligently.) Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.
• Make liaison (optional) Whisk together the egg yolk, if using, and heavy cream, then temper by gradually whisking in a cup of the velouté (this will allow the egg to gently heat so it doesn't curdle). Now whisk everything back into the pot and cook over gentle heat until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon, 1 to 2 minutes. (If you prefer, omit the egg and whisk the cream directly into the velouté in the pan.)
• Serve Return the veal, artichokes, and peas to the pot along with the peeled favas and cook gently to heat through, stirring. Season with salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and chopped dill or parsley to taste.
• Ingredients
• This stew is best made in spring when all the ingredients are in season, but in a pinch, substitute frozen peas, fava beans, and even artichoke hearts, adding all at the end, just to heat through.
• BLANQUETTE DE VEAU
• Omit fava beans, peas, and artichokes. Once the veal has cooked for 1 hour and 20 minutes, melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 8 ounces small white button mushrooms and 6 ounces blanched and peeled pearl onions (page 31), tossing to combine. Pour in 1/4 cup stock from the stew and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are cooked through and the stock has reduced to a syrupy glaze, about 9 minutes. Finish with the liaison, then return veal to the pot along with the vegetables.

VEAL STEW

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir until onion is tender.
• Add meat to the pot, and brown evenly.
• Stir in tomato sauce and white wine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until tender.

VEAL STEW

Steps:

• Heat oil in large skillet over moderate heat. Add veal and cover. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until veal browns lightly and becomes almost tender.
• Add onions, tomatoes, carrots and 1 tablespoon dill. Cook uncovered over low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender. Add remaining 1 tablespoon dill, cilantro, scallions, salt and pepper. Cook 5 to 7 minutes longer, or until well blended.

VEAL STEW WITH SPRING GREENS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a large oven safe casserole, melt butter and oil over medium high heat.
• Season veal with salt and pepper and add to casserole; cook until well browned on all sides, about 12 minutes.
• Add wine, cover with parchment paper, then casserole lid, and place in oven until meat is nearly tender, about 1 hour.
• Add spinach, sorrel, romaine, watercress, leek, parsley, tarragon, chives and creme fraiche; stir and season with salt and pepper.
• Return casserole to oven until greens wilt, about 30 minutes more.
• Serve with steamed white rice.

VEAL STEW WITH DILL

Steps:

• Put the veal in a broad skillet over high heat; sear, undisturbed, for about 4 minutes, or until the underside is nicely browned (don't worry if not all of the pieces brown). Stir, then add the shallots and potatoes. Cook for another couple of minutes, then add salt, pepper, and 1 1/2 cups of water. Stir, scraping the bottom if necessary to loosen any bits of meat that may have stuck. Turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes, stirring once or twice during that period.
• Uncover and add the carrots if you're using them; stir once, recover, and simmer for about 15 minutes more, or until the veal and potatoes are tender.
• Uncover and add the peas and scallions if you like. Raise the heat if necessary to boil away excess liquid. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve, garnished with the dill and accompanied by a lemon wedge.

VEAL STEW (BLANQUETTE DE VEAU)

Steps:

• Stew meat and vegetables:
• Cut meat away from veal breastbone, reserving bone, and cut meat into 2-inch pieces.
• Bring veal breast and shoulder, veal bone, and water to a boil over moderate heat in a 7- to 8-quart heavy pot, skimming froth. While water is heating, wrap parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a small square of cheesecloth and tie into a bundle to make a bouquet. Add bouquet garni and onions to pot and simmer, uncovered, until veal is tender, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 300°F.
• Transfer veal with a slotted spoon to a heatproof serving dish and keep warm in oven, covered with foil.
• Discard veal bone, onions, and bouquet garni, then pour stock through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Return stock to cleaned pot, add carrots and leek, and simmer until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer vegetables to serving dish. Boil stock until reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes.
• While stock is reducing, heat butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook mushrooms, stirring, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to serving dish and season veal and vegetables with salt and pepper. Keep warm in oven.
• Make sauce:
• Melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, then stir in flour. Cook roux, stirring, 3 minutes (do not let brown). Whisk in reduced stock and simmer, uncovered, whisking occasionally, 15 minutes. Whisk together yolks and crème fraîche in a small bowl, then whisk in 1 cup sauce. Whisk yolk mixture into remaining sauce with lemon juice, then cook over moderately low heat (do not let boil), stirring constantly, until it reaches 160°F on an instant-read thermometer and coats back of a wooden spoon.
• Season sauce with salt and pepper and pour over veal and vegetables.