Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (95 page)

The peas

1 to 1½ lbs. fresh peas (1 to 1½ cups, shelled)

A saucepan containing 3 quarts of rapidly boiling, salted water

Drop the peas into the rapidly boiling water, bring quickly back to the boil again, and boil uncovered 4 to 8 minutes or more, depending on tenderness. Test frequently by tasting; they should be almost, but not quite, done. Drain immediately, run cold water over them to stop the cooking and retain their fresh color; drain again and set aside.

The potatoes

About 2 lbs. new potatoes (or “boiling” potatoes) all of a size for easy cutting (2¾ to 3 inches long, for instance)

A bowl of cold water

When needed: a saucepan of boiling, salted water

Peel the potatoes and trim into ovals about 2¼ inches long and 1½ inches thick; drop into bowl of cold
water and set aside. (About ½ hour before you plan to serve the stew, drain the potatoes and drop into boiling water to cover. Boil slowly, uncovered, until almost tender, drain and add to stew as indicated in last paragraph.)

Finishing the stew

If needed: more stock or bouillon

When veal is tender, tip pan and skim off surface fat. If sauce has reduced too much, add a little more stock or bouillon so that you will have enough liquid to cook and baste the vegetables.

About 10 minutes before serving, arrange the carrots, onions, potatoes, and peas in the casserole, pushing them gently down into the meat and cooking juices. Pour any cooking juices from carrots and onions over meat, and baste both meat and vegetables with juices in casserole. Bring to the simmer, cover closely, and simmer about 10 minutes, basting several times, until vegetables are tender. Correct seasoning. Either serve from casserole, or turn the stew out onto a hot platter.

Ossobuco—Jarret de Veau à la Provençale

[Braised Veal Shanks with Wine, Tomatoes, Lemon, and Orange]

Osso
is bone and
buco
is round, meaning the shank with the round bone, which is the hind shank with the marrow bone. This favorite Italian veal stew is also done in France, and here is the Provençal version. Although you may use foreshanks, hind shanks are so much more attractive to serve because the bone is small and the meat holds around it nicely, that we counsel you to order hind shanks, and do the recipe when you have the right meat. Veal shanks, sawed into 1½-inch pieces and ready to cook, will freeze perfectly for several weeks; therefore pick up whatever you can whenever you can, and save all hind shanks for this really delicious recipe.

For 4 people—4 veal hind shanks, sawed into crosswise pieces 1½ inches thick

Season, flour, and brown the veal shanks; arrange in the braising liquid with the onions, garlic, tomatoes, and herbs as described in the
Master Recipe, Steps 1 and 2
. Then proceed as follows:

1 orange

1 lemon

A vegetable peeler

A saucepan containing a quart or so of boiling water

Cut the zests (colored parts of the peel) from the orange and lemon, then cut zests into
julienne
strips
¹
⁄
₁₆
inch wide. To remove bitterness (but none of the flavor), simmer 10 minutes; drain, refresh in cold water, drain again, and stir into the casserole with the veal stew.

Bring stew to simmer, cover casserole, and simmer either in a preheated 325-degree oven or on top of the stove for 1¼ hours, or until meat is tender when pierced with a fork. Do not overcook: meat must not come loose from bone. When tender, tip casserole and skim surface fat from cooking liquid. Set casserole over high heat, if necessary, and boil down sauce to concentrate flavor. Correct seasoning. Serve either from casserole, or on a hot platter. Decorate with parsley sprigs.

Other ideas

Use other veal stew meat, such as cuts from the shoulder or the leg, and give it the
ossobuco
flavoring. Vary the
ossobuco
recipe with olives: blanch a handful each of pitted green olives and pitted black olives for 10 minutes in a quart of boiling water; drain, and add to the stew the last 15 to 20 minutes of cooking. See also the
variations at the end of beef stews
, which include an herb, cheese, and garlic finish, another with anchovies and garlic, a
pipérade
with peppers and tomatoes, and a final one with olives and potatoes; any of these may be added to the cooked veal at the end of
Step 2, Master Recipe
, instead of the mushrooms and cream. You thus have a wide choice, and never need serve the same stew twice.

STUFFED BREAST OF VEAL