Corona Cookbook: Veal Stew
With Time on Your Hands
By: Alan Smason - May 13, 2020
This classic veal stew recipe takes a lot of time to prepare and about two hours to cook properly. But when it’s finished it’s a delight and even better when reheated the next day or two. It is best served with a full-bodied Chardonnay or a varietal like Macon Lugny Les Charmes.
INGREDIENTS
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 4 small or 3 medium-sized onions (quartered) (sweet variety preferred)
- 16 oz. (or two cans) beef broth or bouillion
- 8 oz. (one can) chicken broth
- 1/8 cup dry vermouth (not sweet)
- 2 tbs. parsley
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 large potatoes (quartered)
- 4 carrots (quartered)
- 3 celery stalks (quartered)
- ½ cup water
- 3 lbs. veal stew meat
- 1 ½ cup flour
- ½ - ¾ cup peanut oil
DIRECTIONS
Remove all fat and sinew from meat. Yes, this takes about an hour and a half, but it is necessary to strip away all parts of the fat that would become tough to chew later. There will be a lot of good veal meat that will have to be lost in the process, but in the end, the wait is worth it. No grizzle makes the veal tender when the cooking process is over.
Dredge the meat in flour. (I find a gallon freezer bag works well. Shake the meat to make sure the flour coats it well.) Prepare a large skillet with the peanut oil until it is very hot, but not burning. (You may need to add more oil, depending on the size of the skillet.) Add the veal stew meat to the pan until it is well browned. A screen can be placed above the skillet to prevent splattering. It may take two runs to cook all of the meat. Remove the cooked meat and place into a pan or bowl lined with paper towels to drain the grease.
Remove any bits of flour that may have cooked in the pan. The oil will be hot, so be careful.
Into the same pan add the quartered onions until they are well cooked. They will eventually break into separate layers. This may take 10 minutes. Chop the garlic very fine and add to the onions with about a minute or two before the onions are translucent and finished. Remove the onions and as much of the garlic as you can into another pan or bowl.
Mind the fire that it is high, but not too high. Add two tablespoons of flour to the pan and, using a whisk, make a roux. Keep stirring constantly. When it starts to cook down, immediately add one can or 8 oz. of the beef broth whisking as you go. Add a second can or another 8 oz. as it starts to thicken. Then, add one can or 8 oz. of chicken broth, continuing to whisk. Add the vermouth and continue to cook the mixture. Add the water. This will stop part of the cooking process. Continue to whisk and add all seasonings of parsley, thyme and bay leaves. Continue to whisk. Then turn off the heat.
Line a large turkey pot or roasting pan with the potatoes on the bottom, the carrots and celery on the next level and the onions/garlic on top of them. Add the veal stew meat on top of them. Then add the liquid from the pan. It will not cover up the meat, but should go to near the level of the meat. Cover and simmer for 1 ½ hours (minimum) to 2 hours (best), stirring the bottom so the potatoes won’t burn. In any event don’t let the potatoes rise to the top. Keep the potatoes at the bottom for as long as it is continuing to simmer. By about an hour, the mixture will start to thicken and the aroma will envelop the kitchen. Be careful to keep stirring at least every 10-15 minutes so the bottom won’t burn. If the mixture needs more thickening, another bit of flour can be added just before serving, but that’s usually not necessary. (Left overnight, the stew thickens even more and the seasonings taste even better.)
Bon appétit!