Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (94 page)

2½ to 3 lbs. trimmed and boneless lean stewing veal cut into 1½-inch chunks (see notes preceding recipe)

Salt and pepper

½ cup flour on a plate

2 or more Tb olive oil or cooking oil

A heavy frying pan, no-stick recommended

Dry veal on paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and just before browning, roll in flour and shake off excess. (Shaking in a sieve works nicely.) Film pan with ⅛ inch of oil, set over moderately high heat, and when very hot but not smoking, add as many pieces of veal as will fit easily in 1 layer. Brown nicely on all sides, which will take 4 to 5 minutes or more; remove veal, as it is browned, to a side dish, and continue with the rest.

2 cups sliced onions

2 Tb oil

A heavy 10- by 2-inch chicken fryer, electric skillet, or 3- to 4-quart flameproof casserole

While veal is browning, cook onions in oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes. When tender, raise heat and brown very lightly. When the veal is done, add it to the onions.

2)
Braising the veal

1 cup dry white wine, or ¾ cup dry white French vermouth

1 cup brown veal stock, or chicken stock, or a combination of canned chicken broth and beef bouillon

1 tsp tarragon, basil, or oregano

1 imported bay leaf

1 or 2 large cloves garlic, mashed or minced

1 or 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and roughly chopped (¾ cup pulp)

Discard oil from veal sauté pan and deglaze pan with the wine, scraping up coagulated browning juices. Pour the wine into the veal and onions; stir in the stock, herbs, garlic, and tomatoes. Bring to the simmer, cover and simmer slowly, basting meat occasionally with liquids in pan, for 1 to 1¼ hours, or
until veal is tender when pierced with a knife. Do not overcook; meat should not fall apart.

3)
The mushrooms

1½ to 2 cups (6 to 8 ounces) fresh mushrooms

More oil

The frying pan that browned the veal

Salt and pepper

While veal is simmering, trim, wash, dry, and quarter the mushrooms. Film pan with ⅛ inch of oil, and set over moderately high heat; when oil is hot but not smoking, sauté the mushrooms, tossing and turning, for 3 to 4 minutes, just until they are starting to brown lightly. Season to taste, and set aside.

4)
Sauce and serving

If needed:
beurre manié
(1 Tb flour blended to a paste with 1 Tb soft butter), and a wire whip

½ to ⅔ cup
crème fraîche
or heavy cream

The mushrooms

Minced fresh parsley, or mixed fresh green herbs (parsley, chives, and tarragon, basil, or Oregano)

When veal is tender, scoop it out into a side dish with a slotted spoon. Skim off surface fat, and boil down cooking liquid, if necessary, to concentrate its flavor. If it seems too thin (it must be thick enough to cover the meat nicely), remove from heat, beat in
beurre manié
with wire whip, and bring to the simmer. Stir in the cream and the mushrooms, bring to the boil, and boil slowly 2 to 3 minutes to thicken the sauce again, and to blend flavors. Carefully correct seasoning. Return veal to casserole and simmer again for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the veal with the sauce; correct seasoning again. Either serve from pan or casserole, or arrange on a hot platter surrounded with whatever vegetables you have chosen. Decorate with herbs, and bring immediately to the table.

(*)
AHEAD-OF-TIME NOTES
: May be kept warm for a good half hour on a hot-tray or over simmering water. May be cooked a day before serving; when cold, spread plastic wrap over surface, cover, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, bring to simmer slowly, and simmer about 10 minutes, basting frequently, until thoroughly re-heated but not overcooked. If sauce seems too thick, thin out with stock or cream.

VARIATIONS

Ragoût de Veau, Printanier

[Veal Stew Garnished with Carrots, Onions, New Potatoes, and Green Peas]

When all the vegetables are fresh, this is delicious indeed and very attractive to serve because of the various colors. If you are cooking and serving with no delay, the vegetables may do all of their simmering in the stew, and you add them at different times, according to how long they take to cook. Otherwise do as suggested here, giving them a separate start, and letting them finish off in the stew just before serving; in this method, you may prepare everything ahead except for the potatoes.

Follow method and ingredients for preceding Master Recipe, Steps 1 and 2, using only ½ cup of onions in Step 1, and omitting the garlic in Step 2. Meanwhile, prepare the following:

The carrots and onions

4 to 6 fine, fresh carrots

24 to 30 small, white, fresh onions ¾ to 1 inch in diameter

A heavy, covered saucepan

1 cup water

1½ Tb butter

½ tsp salt

Peel the carrots, halve or quarter them depending on size, and cut into 1½-inch lengths; trim edges to round them, if you wish. Drop onions into boiling water, boil 1 minute, drain, and slip off peel; pierce a cross ¼ inch deep in root ends for even cooking. Place carrots and onions in pan with the water, butter, and salt; cover and simmer slowly about 25 minutes, until just tender. Set aside.