Blueprint for Veal Stew(Mf)
Submitted by crismic
Classic French veal stew with shoulder cubes browned in butter, braised in white wine and broth with a bouquet garni. Fork-tender and rich, served over rice, polenta, or potatoes.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
90 minREADY
110 minCall this your master class in French braising.
Veal shoulder gets seared in batches until deeply golden, then nestled into a casserole with softened carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and a splash of dry white wine.
A bouquet garni of parsley, bay, and peppercorns perfumes the broth as everything braises low and slow in the oven until the meat practically falls apart at the touch of a fork.
The braising liquid gets strained and reduced into a glossy, concentrated sauce. A bit of beurre manie at the end gives it body if you want something spoonable.
Pile it over rice, creamy polenta, or crushed potatoes.
Chef Tips
- Pat the veal cubes completely dry before searing. Moisture is the enemy of a good crust.
- Brown in small batches. Crowding the pot steams the meat instead of caramelizing it.
- Place a piece of buttered parchment directly on the meat before putting the lid on. This keeps the surface moist during the long braise.
- Beurre manie (equal parts soft butter and flour kneaded together) is optional but gives the sauce a silky finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325℉ (160℃).
In an oven proof casserole, heat, until very hot, half of the oil.
In small batches brown the veal cubes on all sides.
When one batch is done, add more oil if you need to and continue to brown until all the veal is done.
Discard the fat in the casserole and replace it with the butter.
Add the carrot, onion and celery, cover and simmer 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
Add the white wine and boil down for a minute or until alcohol has evaporated.
Return the veal cubes to the casserole with garlic and add just enough broth to barely cover the veal.
Bring the liquid to a boil, add the bouquet garni, put a buttered piece of parchment or brown paper on top of the meat, then a lid on the casserole and set in the oven.
Cook for 1¼ to 1½ hours or until the meat is tender.
Remove casserole from the oven and strain the contents through a sieve and the liquid into another saucepan; discard bouquet garni.
Divide solids into 2 batches.
Degrease the liquid and boil it down until reduced to 3 cups.
Remove 1½ cups of the liquid and add it to half of the meat.
Return the other half of the veal to the remaining liquid.
Season with salt and pepper.
Thicken with beurre manie if you wish. Serve with rice, polenta or potatoes; garnish with parsley.
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