Hot to Make a Delicious Veal Stew with Mushrooms
Sunday was a rainy dreary day, perfect for cooking and watching football. It was one of those days I didn’t mind chopping, mincing and dicing while watching the Eagles beat up on the Washington Redskins.
When I asked my wife what kind of stew she’d like me to make, she immediately responded, “Veal!”
So we went to the market and picked up some cubed veal meat for stew and one of our favorite stewing vegetables, leeks.
This is really a very simple recipe and the results are fantastic. I used a cup of demi-glace because I always have it on hand in the form of Demi Glace Gold but you can substitute 1 cup of homemade beef stock or even try homemade chicken stock.
As good as this meal is the night you serve it, it’s even better as leftovers after all the flavors have a chance to meld together.
Veal Stew with Mushrooms Recipe
Prep Time45 mins
Cook Time2 hrs
Total Time2 hrs 45 mins
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds veal stew meat cubed, most likely from the shoulder or leg
- flour
- 3 leeks
- 10 oz golden pearl onions
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup Ruby Port you can substitute any Port or even try Sherry or Marsala wine
- 14½ oz diced tomatoes
- 1 cup demi glace
- 5 fresh sage leaves
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
- salt & freshly ground pepper
- 8 oz white mushrooms
Instructions
- Prepare
- Leeks are usually loaded with sand and grit so it's important to clean them well. I like to chop the white and tender green parts and wash in my ancient salad spinner.
- The pearl onions are the most tedious prep in this recipe. You have probably seen recipes that say to pour boiling water over the pearl onions and the skins will just fall off. No way. Doesn't happen. Yes, it does help some, but you're going to end up peeling them with a knife and your fingernails so be patient.
- Peel and mince the garlic and if you are using whole plum tomatoes, pour them into a bowl and cut up into pieces.
- Chop the parsley and slice the mushrooms.
Make the Veal Stew
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Put some flour into any bowl (I used a soup bowl) to dredge the veal cubes with flour. You can season the flour if you like with a little salt and pepper or your favorite dried seasonings. Be sure the veal is dry before dredging.
- Heat your sauté pan over medium-high heat; add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan. When the oil is hot but not smoking, shake off any excess flour from the veal pieces and add them to the sauté pan. Most likely you'll sauté the veal in batches unless you have one giant sauté pan.All we are trying to do is brown the veal on all sides. The cooking will be done in the liquids. The browning will add color and add flavor to the pan that will result in a very tasty stew.
- When one batch of veal is browned, remove it to a plate and start the next batch. When all is meat is browned and reserved, add another tablespoon of butter and oil to the pan and add the leeks, pearl onions and garlic. Sauté the vegetables for about 5 to 7 minutes until the leeks become translucent & slightly brown.
- Add the port wine and deglaze the pan by scraping from the bottom any meat or leeks that may be stuck to the pan. Continuing cooking until most of the port is cooked off, then add the meat back to the pan.
- At this point you want to add the cut up tomatoes with juice along with the cup of demi glace. Add the sage, parsley and season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and place the pan in the preheated oven and cook for about 1 hour.
- While the veal stew is cooking, it's time to sauté the mushrooms in a smaller sauté pan. You want to sauté the mushrooms separately so they release their liquid before adding to the stew.
Here's How
- Heat your smaller sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and oil. When the butter and oil are hot, add the sliced mushrooms and sauté until most of the liquid has been released and evaporated. Remove the pan from the heat and reserve.
- After the stew has cooked for one hour, add the mushrooms to the stew and continue cooking for an additional 30 to 45 minutes until the veal is for tender. I turned off the oven and let the stew cool a bit before serving with a combination mashed parsnip, turnip and potatoes. It was delicious and I can't wait for the leftovers.
Hey RG, great recipe but it can be better. Fresh thyme and a couple of bay leaves go very well veal stew. But all in all very good!!!!
served with the mashed root veggies…in a bowl with the stew on top or on a plate? Sounds delicious, but want to make sure the plating looks as appetizing as the recipe sounds. Thanks
Do you have to keep an eye on it while stewing?
thanks
When cooking anything on the stove or in the oven, I want to be around to keep an “eye on it” but it is not one of those dishes you have to check every so often. In fact, there is nothing to really see while it is in the oven cooking and everytime you open the oven door you let out a lot of heat slowing down the cooking process.
Boiling the onions for two minutes does work very well. after boiling, rinse in cold water then cut the root end, squeeze from the other end and they pop right out.
Thanks for this recipe! I had just scored some veal stew meat from Bristol Farms and the leeks were fabulous at the farmer’s market today. The mushroom vender had King oyster and portobellos, so I used those intead of white mushrooms. Didn’t have any pearl onions but I had some left in the freezer and used those (much easier). I also sauteed about a 1/2 cup of shallots along w/ the garlic and added a couple of bay leaves per another suggestion. Lucky I keep Demi Glace on hand. As for the Port, I had none, but Madera works just as well. The result was spectacular. This recipe is a keeper.
Very good. Never changed a thing was tender crazy. Not lucky like you…no left overs 4 people eating. Rats!
Thanks!
Patty